Theoretical and Experimental Psychological Support for the No Child Left Inside Act

Abstract

This study extends and synthesizes previous theory and research pertaining to environmental education. The aim of this synthesis is to provide greater evidence of the recent No Child Left Inside Act (NCLI), which is a response to the No Child Left Behind Act's unforeseen funding cuts for environmental education. The influences that curricula have on children are experienced to extend out towards their community bidirectionally; thus the NCLI has further implications of various effects that may lead to more beneficial educational outcomes. Future directions proposed by this research revolve around longitudinal studies to investigate these ideological and behavioral changes that environmental education has on the greater community of the participating schools; in particular, these research inquiries could lead to ail understanding of how education can be used in the school system to change the frame of interaction community members have with outdoor spaces. Hence, this study investigates and proposes future directions of research to further the evidence that environmental education is beneficial for society at large.