Assessment of Forever Earth Curriculum 2009-2010: Final Report

Forever Earth is a floating environmental laboratory and learning center at Lake Mead National Recreation Area that provides hands-on science experiences for students in the Clark County School District. The Forever Earth program was brought about through the efforts of numerous partners including Forever Resorts, a division of Forever Learning LLC, the National Park Service, Lake Mead National Recreation Area; Outside Las Vegas Foundation; and UNLV’s Public Lands Institute. In 2005, a formal written agreement was reached between Fun Country Marine Industries and UNLV’s Public Lands Institute to operate and manage the Forever Earth houseboat for the purpose of enhancing outdoor environmental education efforts in Southern Nevada. During the first year of the assessment program, knowledge, attitude, and performance assessments were developed to document the effectiveness of program events over the duration of the program. The findings from the first three years of assessment revealed that students’ knowledge and attitudes increased substantially as a result of participating in the Forever Earth field trips. Results also demonstrated that teachers’ perceptions of the curriculum were very favorable. In this final year of assessment (2009/2010), students again completed knowledge, attitude, and performance assessment and results indicated that students’ knowledge, attitudes, and skills increased substantially as a result of participating in the Forever Earth field trips