Maryland Adds Environmental Literacy in High Schools

Maryland is the first state in the country to impose a new requirement to graduate from high school -- something called environmental literacy. But what is that? That is the question State Senator J. B. Jennings is asking. "What kind of education is it going to be?” he asks. “Is it going to be fact-based? Or is it going to be theory-based, which is usually politically, theory driven. And you can think, it's going to be about global warming or climate change." The new rule is a regulation from the State Board of Education, not a law passed by the legislature, so it lays out no specifics. Governor Martin O'Malley offers no real details but praises it, saying it will "infuse core subjects with lessons about conservation and smart growth and the health of our natural world." O’Malley also said it'll serve as a "foundation for green jobs," though one analyst says training for those is just like it is for any other job...more