National Energy Education Development Project
 | |
| Abbreviation | NEED Project |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1980 |
| Headquarters | Manassas, VA, USA |
CEO | Mary Spruill |
| Website | http://www.need.org |
The National Energy Education Development Project is dedicated to promoting an energy conscious and educated society by creating effective networks of students, educators, business, government and community leaders to design and deliver objective, multi-sided energy education programs. The NEED Project's educator network includes over 65,000 classrooms nationwide who use NEED's annually up-dated curriculum materials.
The NEED Project Beginnings
Started in 1980, launched by a Congressional resolution spearheaded by Gerard Katz, a New York state physics teacher, the National Energy Education Development Project (NEED) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education association dedicated to promoting a realistic understanding of the scientific, economic, and environmental impacts of energy so that students and teachers can make educated decisions.
On March 20, 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed Proclamation 4738, entitled "National Energy Education Day: By the President of the United States, A Proclamation." The proclamation read, in part:
There are only two ways that we can reduce the imports of oil from foreign countries. One is to increase production of American energy of all kinds—and we have been blessed with tremendous reserves compared to other nations—and the other is to conserve the energy supplies that we have from all sources. We have made some progress. It has not yet been adequate, but it's been steady. We've more than reduced imports by a million barrels a day—and we expect to make even greater progress this year—since I've been in office, in 1977.
One of the major opportunities that has not yet been explored is to educate our young people—who can be just as effective, perhaps even more so, than many adults—in the facts about energy, what the opportunities are for conservation, and how they themselves can help. In homes, on the job, in transportation—there is a tremendous opportunity not only for young people to learn but also to educate their parents about the facts concerning how we can solve our energy problem through conservation.
A recent analysis has shown that there is an abysmal lack of information within the public school system among the students about basic facts concerning energy. And this designation of a national day for energy education is a very worthwhile commitment because of the facts that I've just described...[1]
The NEED mission
The mission of the NEED Project is to promote an energy conscious and educated society by creating effective networks of students, educators, business, government and community leaders to design and deliver objective, multi-sided energy education programs.
The NEED program includes innovative curriculum materials, professional development, evaluation tools, and recognition. NEED teaches the scientific concepts of energy and provides objective information about conventional and emerging energy sources— their use and impact on the environment, economy, and society. The program also educates students about energy efficiency and conservation while providing tools to help educators, energy managers, and consumers use energy wisely.
The NEED mission, goals, and governance are described on the program's website and include links to the organization's annual report and financial statement. NEED Project Mission
NEED's curriculum
Experts agree students learn best by doing. NEED materials are inquiry based and incorporate the "Kids Teaching Kids" philosophy. NEED makes teaching and learning about energy exciting while developing students' leadership and critical thinking skills.
NEED materials are available for all grade levels from kindergarten through high school. With NEED's extensive curriculum, educators can design classroom programs that spark the interest of their students and meet course objectives. NEED materials are designed to meet and correlate to the National Science Education Content Standards, as well as many state standards. Educators who use NEED materials report that their students score better on end-of-grade testing, are more actively engaged in learning, and develop leadership skills as members of the community.
To ensure that teachers and students are working with accurate information, NEED materials are updated on a regular basis, using the latest data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, as well as from a wide range of energy industry partners. NEED works with educators and students to improve existing materials and develop new ones to meet national and state curriculum requirements. In a special partnership with the Energy Information Administration, NEED helps make energy information and data available to students via the EIA Kid's Page website. In 2006, the Kid's Page was one of the most popular EIA products—averaging over 350,000 user sessions per month. NEED welcomes partners who vitalize the NEED network with new curriculum materials and new schools. A partnership with Pacific Gas and Electric Company expanded the PG&E Solar Schools program to over 600 teachers in the PG&E service area. Schools receive NEED Solar Kits, Science of Energy Kits, teacher training and the opportunity to apply for photovoltaic (solar) installations and classroom grants.
NEED continues to grow at the national and the local level thanks to the support of committed sponsors and partners. Companies and organizations of all types and sizes work with NEED to invest in the future of energy and energy education. NEED sponsors and partners recognize the value of educating tomorrow's workforce for careers in energy. Each partnership is unique. Each partnership considers an energy literate public a pathway to overcoming the energy challenges of the future.
The NEED curriculum is divided into eight steps; each builds on the others to form a comprehensive energy unit that encourages even the youngest students to understand how energy is involved in everything that happens in the world.
NEED offers over 130+ curriculum guides available for free PDF download at the NEED Store
Training and professional development
Teachers are the key to the success of the NEED program. NEED teachers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and four U.S. territories reach more than four million students each year in their local schools, and many more through outreach programs. Providing teachers with innovative training programs and opportunities to increase their own energy knowledge is a major objective of the NEED program.
Training is offered at local, state, regional and national levels. During the school year, NEED coordinators, lead teachers, and student leaders facilitate workshops for teachers, students, parents, and community members that may range from a few hours to several days. At these workshops, attendees receive an introduction to the NEED curriculum. Additional training for special topics like solar, hydrogen, wind, energy on public lands, or energy management is available in many areas of the NEED network. NEED specializes in creating a first-class training experience, which is consistently scored by participants as one of the best professional development experiences available.
In the summer, the National Energy Conferences for Educators give teachers and energy professionals the opportunity to meet other educators from across the country, design and develop NEED units for their classrooms, increase their energy knowledge, and earn graduate credit. They participate in NEED activities and field trips to energy sites such as nuclear power plants, coalmines, offshore oil production facilities, solar energy facilities, hydroelectric dams, and energy efficiency projects.
NEED sponsors and partners provide sponsorship for teachers, and they participate as speakers and field trip guides. Some NEED states also sponsor summer energy camps for kids, spring break day camps, and overnight energy weekends. Many NEED schools work with scout troops and community youth groups to help them gain energy-related merit badges and community service hours.
NEED Energy Workshop Opportunities are listed on the NEED Calendar here: NEED Calendar
The NEED network
The long-term success of NEED depends on the support of its network. The educators, students, directors, coordinators, sponsors, and community partners who support the program say that working with NEED is one of the most rewarding things about their jobs. The board of Directors facilitates the implementation of NEED's strategic plan for expansion and helps support NEED's goal of providing an energy education program to every interested school in America. Board members volunteer their time and talents to make sure that NEED has a strong foundation and that the programs and materials reach the greatest number of people each year. Each member of the Board provides funding for the development of NEED programs.
State programs are a vital component of NEED's mission. State coordinators and NEED lead teachers, partners, and sponsors provide day-to-day guidance to local programs, conduct regional and local training programs, design and distribute materials, support teachers, and help develop new NEED programs and activities. These state programs make NEED work at the local level—helping connect the state education standards to NEED programs and materials. NEED stays connected to its network via its newsletters— Energy Exchange and Career Currents—and a variety of resources and opportunities available on NEED's website, www.need.org, and many outreach events each year. Energy Exchange provides teachers, students, and sponsors with information and activities about energy and exciting new technologies and discoveries. NEED's new newsletter, Career Currents, exposes students to the diversity of energy careers. Both newsletters are distributed bimonthly, and all issues are available on www.need.org.
With a new look this year, www.need.org gives teachers a resource for curriculum publications and activity guides, a place to discuss their NEED programs, and links to a variety of supplemental resources. The website also provides students with methods for choosing science fair experiments, fact sheets for research projects, activities to reinforce knowledge, and resources on the nation's leading energy sources, electricity, and conservation. NEED also partners with the Energy Information Administration on their EIA Kid’s Page, the premier site for kids to find reliable, up-to-date energy information and loads of fun energy activities.
Since its inception in 1980, NEED has grown from a one-day celebration of energy awareness to a national organization dedicated o introducing energy into the curriculum at every grade level. This growth would be impossible without the continued support of NEED's sponsors and partners at the national, state, and local level ho provide funding, time, energy, and technical assistance. NEED sponsors and partners believe in the importance of a comprehensive energy education program that helps teachers and students understand energy and its impacts on their world.
Current NEED Energy Education Programs
The Pacific Gas and Electric Company Solar Schools Program:
Begun in 2004, the PG&E Solar Schools Program has installed over 100 solar photovoltaic electrical systems in K-12 public schools throughout its service area. The program also funds free NEED energy education workshops and Bright Ideas grants of up to $10,000 for innovative educational projects. PG&E Solar Schools Program homepage
Texas TXU Energy Solar Academy:
TXU Energy brings solar energy education to the classroom in the TXU Energy Solar Academy. TXU Energy provided a contribution to the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project to launch a solar education program that helps teachers meet the requirements of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), helps students and their families understand basic energy concepts and brings solar demonstration installations to local communities. TXU Energy Solar Academy homepage
ConocoPhillips Energy Education program:
ConocoPhillips sponsors a series of free K-12 workshops held throughout the nation. This workshop series presents a unique opportunity for classroom teachers (K-12) to learn about energy in a fun and exciting way! The seminars will create awareness of today's energy challenges and the importance of using energy wisely. Participation in this workshop provides educators with more than $500 of curriculum and hands-on kits that teach about energy resources and energy transformations through hands-on activities. Participants receive the NEED Science of Energy Kit, a basic NEED curriculum set and a class-set of NEED's Energy Infobooks at grade level. Curriculum and training is aligned with state education standards. ConocoPhillips/NEED homepage ConocoPhillips Energy Workshop Videos
Energizing Student Potential (ESP Program):
The Exelon Foundation, ComEd, Nicor Gas, Peoples Gas, North Shore Gas, and BP America, in partnership with the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project, launched Energizing Student Potential, a STEM-focused energy program for grades 5 - 8 in their respective customer regions in Illinois and Indiana in the 2015-2016 school year. In 2016-2017, Energizing Student Potential launched in Washington, D.C. for District of Columbia Public Schools with support from Exelon Foundation and Pepco. Working with librarians and media specialists, the program welcomed 22 schools in January 2017. This program brings together standards-based curriculum for use in the classroom or in afterschool programs in public and private schools and the resources of the region's largest energy companies. The program will help schools meet Next Generation Science Standards and more. Energizing Student Potential is designed to help educators bring energy into the classroom and to provide all the tools and resources necessary for students and teachers to learn together, explore energy together, and teach their local communities about energy. ESP Program Homepage
List of Sponsors and Partners
- Air Equipment Company
- Alaska Electric Light & Power Company
- Albuquerque Public Schools
- American Electric Power
- American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers
- Arizona Public Service
- Armstrong Energy Corporation
- Barnstable County, Massachusetts
- Robert L. Bayless, Producer, LLC
- BG Group/Shell
- BP America Inc.
- Blue Grass Energy
- Cape Light Compact–Massachusetts
- Central Falls School District
- Chugach Electric Association, Inc.
- Citgo
- Clean Energy Collective
- Colonial Pipeline
- Columbia Gas of Massachusetts
- ComEd
- ConEdison Solutions
- ConocoPhillips
- Constellation
- Cuesta College
- David Petroleum Corporation
- Desk and Derrick of Roswell, NM
- Direct Energy
- Dominion Energy, Inc.
- Dominion Nuclear
- DonorsChoose
- Duke Energy
- East Kentucky Power
- Energy Market Authority – Singapore
- Escambia County Public School Foundation
- Eversource
- Exelon Foundation
- First Roswell Company
- Foundation for Environmental Education
- FPL
- The Franklin Institute
- George Mason University – Environmental Science and Policy
- Gerald Harrington, Geologist
- Government of Thailand–Energy Ministry
- Green Power EMC
- Guilford County Schools–North Carolina
- Gulf Power
- Hawaii Energy
- Idaho National Laboratory
- Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation
- Illinois Institute of Technology
- Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico
- James Madison University
- Kentucky Department of Energy Development and Independence
- Kentucky Power–An AEP Company
- Kentucky Utilities Company
- League of United Latin American Citizens – National Educational Service Centers
- Leidos
- Linn County Rural Electric Cooperative
- Llano Land and Exploration
- Louisville Gas and Electric Company
- Mississippi Development Authority–Energy Division
- Mississippi Gulf Coast Community Foundation
- Mojave Environmental Education Consortium
- Mojave Unified School District
- Montana Energy Education Council
- The Mountain Institute
- National Fuel
- National Grid
- National Hydropower Association
- National Ocean Industries Association
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- NC Green Power
- New Mexico Oil Corporation
- New Mexico Landman's Association
- NextEra Energy Resources
- NEXTracker
- Nicor Gas
- Nisource Charitable Foundation
- Noble Energy
- Nolin Rural Electric Cooperative
- Northern Rivers Family Services
- North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
- North Shore Gas
- Offshore Technology Conference
- Ohio Energy Project
- Opterra Energy
- Pacific Gas and Electric Company
- PECO
- Pecos Valley Energy Committee
- Peoples Gas
- Pepco
- Performance Services, Inc.
- Petroleum Equipment and Services Association
- Phillips 66
- PNM
- PowerSouth Energy Cooperative
- Providence Public Schools
- Quarto Publishing Group
- Read & Stevens, Inc.
- Renewable Energy Alaska Project
- Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources
- Robert Armstrong
- Roswell Geological Society
- Salt River Project
- Salt River Rural Electric Cooperative
- Saudi Aramco
- Schlumberger
- C.T. Seaver Trust
- Secure Futures, LLC
- Shell
- Shell Chemicals
- Sigora Solar
- Singapore Ministry of Education
- Society of Petroleum Engineers
- Society of Petroleum Engineers–Middle East, North Africa and South Asia
- Solar City
- David Sorenson
- South Orange County Community College District
- Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development–Energy Division
- Tesla
- Tesoro Foundation
- Tri-State Generation and Transmission
- TXU Energy
- United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey
- University of Kentucky
- University of Maine
- University of North Carolina
- University of Tennessee
- U.S. Department of Energy
- U.S. Department of Energy–Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
- U.S. Department of Energy–Wind for Schools
- U.S. Energy Information Administration
- United States Virgin Islands Energy Office
- Wayne County Sustainable Energy
- Western Massachusetts Electric Company
- Yates Petroleum Corporation
References
- ↑ "Jimmy Carter: National Energy Education Day Remarks on Signing Proclamation 4738". The American Presidency Project. 20 March 1980.