Researcher ORCID Identifier

0009-0004-6482-9130

Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Environmental Analysis

Reader 1

Susan Phillips

Reader 2

Jo Ann Wang

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Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2026 Jamie W Miller

Abstract

Education is an essential and oft-overlooked part of the conversation about climate change. As I’ll demonstrate in this thesis, education shapes how the public understands climate change and creates environmental knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and intentions. Exploring and understanding climate change education allows us to understand how people form perspectives about climate issues. This topic is extremely important, but one we often gloss over when thinking about climate solutions. I analyzed three case studies of educational standards in the United States to understand how political context, writing focuses, and benchmarks impact the efficacy of climate change standards. My research found that broad educational standards that are designed to serve a wide audience are ineffective at reaching students and providing them with a well-rounded understanding of climate change. Educational standards are most effective at addressing climate change when local contexts and the strengths of the state are centered. Place-based education and utilizing local issues are tools essential for engaging students in tangible ways, and also for overcoming political divisiveness in tense political environments. Other indicators of successful education models include climate change interventions from a young age, a holistic approach that doesn’t just focus on knowledge attainment, and implementation support for educators. This research challenges the assumption that blue communities are the only ones invested in climate change education and that climate change education only happens in the science classroom. States should utilize the lessons taught by the Wyoming and New Jersey models to improve climate change education in schools.

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