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1. The Curriculum and Community Enterprise for Restoration Science (STEM + C): Blending Social Justice Engagement with Academic Instruction to Help Pique Student Interest in Environmental Restoration and Urban Renewal

   Birney, Lauren B. (October 2023, Journal of curriculum and teaching)

   Ella Smith Editorial Assistant Journal of Curriculum and Teaching Sciedu Press (Ed.)

   Abstract A major blight of urban development has been the existence of environmental inequities which affect how and where low-income communities and communities of color live. Targeted communities are beginning to receive long-overdue analysis and civic action. New laws and amendments have been made to better the conditions of these historically underserved communities. Currently, in New York City, historic progress is being made by providing all residents of these affected communities with the tools to advocate for the best outcomes for their neighborhoods. It is the first time in the city’s history that the issue of environmental justice has reached such a milestone. Civic participatory action of this magnitude requires the development of alliances between all members of the community. Students from these marginalized neighborhoods can make a vital contribution in eliminating environmental racism and restoring their communities’ environmental urban footprint. To this end, the Curriculum and Community Enterprise for Restoration Science (STEM + C) Project has been working to provide long-term, hands-on, environmental restoration education and action research to the students in New York City. Restoration of the Eastern oyster in New York Harbor waterways surrounding many of these communities exposes the youth of the city to the community inequities. One of the objectives of the CCERS STEM + C Project is to study its effect on student awareness, motivation and engagement in community-based environmental restoration. Over 500 New York City school students were surveyed on self-reported factors including awareness, motivation and community engagement. Those students in the CCERS STEM + C Program had a significantly higher level of awareness and motivation in terms of community-engagement and social action. 

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2. Curriculum and Community Enterprise for New York Harbor Restoration in New York City Public Schools

   Birney, Lauren; Watson- Currie, Erica; and Jha, Kartik (January 2017, Radical pedagogy)

   Active investigation of students engaging in problem solving in natural settings has consistently been shown to greatly benefit their learning process. They gain skills and knowledge, while increasing their interest, aspirations, and motivation to learn more. But how can we provide these rich opportunities in densely populated urban areas where resources and access to natural environments are limited? The Curriculum + Community Enterprise for Restoration Science (CCERS) project has developed and begun testing an educational model of curriculum and community enterprise to address that issue within the nation's largest urban school system. Middle school students study the New York Harbor estuary and the extensive watershed that empties into it, while conducting field research in support of restoring native oyster habitats. This project builds on the existing Billion Oyster Project, and is being implemented across different settings by a broad partnership of institutions and community stakeholders, including Pace University, the New York City Department of Education, the Columbia UniversityLamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, the New York Academy of Sciences, the New York Harbor Foundation, the New York Aquarium, the River Project, the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science, and Good Shepherd Services. Keywords: community, curriculum, New York Harbor, restoration science, middle school, STEM-C 

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3. Curriculum and Community Enterprise for New York Harbor Restoration in New York City Public Schools

   Birney, Lauren; Molina, Michelle; Watson, Erica (August 2016, Psychology research)

   Abstract Active investigation of students engaging in problem solving in natural settings has consistently been shown to greatly benefit their learning process. They gain skills and knowledge, while increasing their interest, aspirations, and motivation to learn more. But how can we provide these rich opportunities in densely populated urban areas where resources and access to natural areas are limited? The Curriculum + Community Enterprise for Restoration Science (CCERS) project has developed and begun testing an educational model of curriculum and community enterprise to address that issue within the nation's largest urban school system. Middle school students study the New York Harbor estuary and the extensive watershed that empties into it, while conducting field research in support of restoring native oyster habitats. This project builds on the existing Billion Oyster Project, and is being implemented across different settings by a broad partnership of institutions and community stakeholders, including Pace University, the New York City Department of Education, the Columbia University Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, the New York Academy of Sciences, the New York Harbor Foundation, the New York Aquarium, the River Project, the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science, and Good Shepherd Services. 

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4. The Billion Oyster Project and Curriculum and Community Enterprise for Restoration Science Curriculum Impact on Teacher Engagement

   https://doi.org/10.5430/jct.v11n4p53  

   Birney, Lauren B.; Evans, Brian R.; Kong, Joyce; Solanki, Vibhakumari; Mojica, Elmer-Rico; Scharff, Christelle (April 2022, Journal of Curriculum and Teaching)

   The Billion Oyster Project and Curriculum and Community Enterprise for the Restoration of New York Harbor with New York City Public Schools (BOP-CCERS) program is a National Science Foundation (NSF) supported initiative and collaboration of multiple institutions and organizations led by Pace University. The NSF project, Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST), had generated a large amount of data through engagement with teachers and students throughout New York City public schools. This article presents the second part to a large data collection study with focus on Underrepresented Minority (URM) student interest in STEM and engagement with teachers to support them in teaching science through experiential learning and lessons that connect science to the real world, particularly through science in the New York Harbor. The first component of the study focused on URM student interest in STEM. This second component of the study focuses on teacher engagement in the program, and what the researchers had learned in the process. Overall, teachers reported very favorable options on the impact of the BOP-CCERS activities as ways to generate student interest in STEM majors and careers. Teacher participants were generally positive about the amount of support and resources they received as members of the project, as well as the oyster-related knowledge and practices they learned to use with their own students in oyster field research. Data from the study provided evidence that the teacher activities were successful and met the project’s goals to provide support and resources for teachers to engage students in oyster restoration research. 

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5. Experiential and Real-World Learning for Teachers in the Billion Oyster Project and Curriculum and Community Enterprise (BOP-CCERS) for the Restoration of New York Harbor with New York City Public Schools Program

   https://doi.org/10.5430/jct.v8n4p30  

   Birney, Lauren B.; Kong, Joyce; Evans, Brian R.; Ceritelli, Samantha; Danker, Macey (October 2019, Journal of Curriculum and Teaching)

   The Billion Oyster Project and Curriculum and Community Enterprise for the Restoration of New York Harbor withNew York City Public Schools (BOP-CCERS) seeks to integrate harbor restoration activities with science teachers inorder to provide their students with experiential learning through environmental impact in New York City with thevision that public school students in New York City can benefit from environmental science and experiential learningwork through authentic research, data collection, and experimentation. The purpose is to engage science teachers withexperiential learning opportunities in the New York Harbor that helps them create engaging lessons for their ownstudents. It was found that teachers responded most positively to workshops that included hands-on activities,specifically the oyster restoration station trainings, classroom oyster tank setups and activities with scientists. Teachersreported that the BOP-CCERS program prepared them to support student learning of the program content and scientificresearch activities. Students who engage in real-world science are more likely to see the relevance of science and seethemselves working toward a career pathway in STEM. 

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