| History
and Highlights of our Work
History
Creative Change Educational Solutions
(CCES) was founded in 1998 by former classroom teacher Susan Santone
to provide curricula development, training, and programming in
the areas of global studies, ecological economics, sustainable
development, anti-discrimination, and the links among these. The
organization operated as a Limited Liability Company from 1999-2002.
In order to expand its educational mission, CCES incorporated
as a non-profit organization in January 2002 and was granted tax-exempt,
501c3 status in July 2002.
Throughout its history CCES, has
served teachers, students, and citizens by collaborating with
public schools, governmental agencies, universities, and nonprofit
institutions. Partners
and funders include the United Nations Global Teaching and
Learning Project, Washtenaw County Government, public schools
around the country, foundations, Purdue University, Eastern Michigan
University, and other non-profits.
Read highlights
of our work:
Curriculum
development and teacher education
Professional
development and consulting
For-credit
graduate courses with Eastern Michigan University
Publications
Curriculum
development and teacher education programs
Ecological Economics programs:
Creative Change and Eastern
Michigan University have developed "Designed
by Nature," a middle school program on product lifecycles
and environmental production design. This program is reaching
over 1,000 students in Michigan and New York thanks to funding
from Honda, Pfizer, and the Clarence E. Heller Foundation.
We've also developed "Economics
for the Common Good," a
high school curriculum that addresses green manufacturing, economic
indicators, and policies to promote sustainability. This program
has been the basis for workshops and for-credit programs for
teachers across the US.
Land use and sustainable communities
education programs: We've developed
"Lessons
from the Land," a high school curriculum and teacher
education program on sustainable communities and land use planning.
In partnership with Purdue University, we've also developed
"Our
Town," a companion high school program on brownfields
redevelopment.
Ecological Footprint programs:
Working with the research institute Redefining Progress, Creative
Change developed a teacher education program focused on the
Ecological
Footprint, a science-based method for measuring human impact
on the environment. Teacher education programs have reached
over 250 educators in California, Michigan, New York and Minnesota.
Anti-discrimination programs:
We developed a curriculum series on human rights and
anti-discrimination for the United Nations Global Teaching and
Learning Project. The materials were piloted in area schools.
Learn more about Creative Change's current programming on cultural
issues. Learn
more about our programs on cultural issues.
Professional
development and consulting with schools
Professional
development: Creative
Change has provided professional development to schools
across the country, including annual summer institutes sponsorsed
by the Children's
Environmental Literacy Foundation in New York.
Consulting:
Creative Change is partnering
with Eastern Michigan University and districts around the country
that are using sustainability as a key strategy to improve student
achievement. Building
Leadership Capacity for Sustainability Education is an example
of how we are supporting schools through strategic planning
and curriculum redesign.
Publication
credits
Creative Change has helped
to advance awareness of sustainability education through the following
publications: (Unless otherwise noted, works were authored by
Creative Change's Executive Director, Susan Santone.)
- "Collaborative Learning About Unsustainability: An Interdisciplinary
Seminar to Help Achieve Sustainability." Co-authored with
James Crowfoot. In Praxis IV, a series chronicling
innovations in higher education. University of
Michigan Press. 2005
- "The Role of Community-based Projects in Teaching Sustainability."
Co-authored with James Crowfoot. In Praxis IV. University
of Michigan Press. 2004
- "Teaching for a Healthier Earth." Instructor.
March 2004.
- "Education for Sustainability." Educational
Leadership. Volume 61, No. 4. December 2003-January 04.
- "An Education to Sustain Our Futures." Classroom
Leadership. Volume 7, No. 5. February 2004.
- Vermont Teacher's Guide to Education for Sustainability
. Contributed to this guidebook funded by the US Environmental
Protection Agency. 2001.
- "Eco-Economics in the Classroom" Green Teacher
Magazine. Issue 65, Summer 2001.
- Economics, Resources, and the Future: Focus on the Car
and Ecological Economics. Co-authored a high school curriculum
funded by a US Department of Education grant. 1999.
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