The New Jersey State House. Photo by Lowlova. CC BY-SA 4.0.
When the New Jersey state board of education voted 6-4-1 on October 4, 2023, to adopt revised state standards for mathematics and English language arts, it completed the incorporation of climate change throughout New Jersey's state education standards, as NJ Spotlight News (October 5, 2023) reported.
In 2020, as NCSE previously reported, New Jersey revised the majority of its standards to include references to climate change. In the case of mathematics and English language arts, however, references to climate change were included in appendices, pending scheduled revisions to those standards.
The newly revised standards for mathematics (document) and English language arts (document) originally included over sixty specific examples of climate change, but these were removed during the review process, leaving only icons signaling opportunities for the integration of climate change content.
In related news, the New Jersey department of education recently established a first-in-the-nation office of climate change education "to further climate literacy and environment awareness among students and educators across the state and to prepare students for the future jobs created by the green economy," according to a September 26, 2023, press release.
"In the midst of some of the worst climate related events that our country has ever faced, New Jersey is taking a proactive stance in combating climate change, and education is the foundation of our efforts," commented Governor Phil Murphy.
