Groundwork uses its place-based approach to promote science, technology, engineering and math skills, also known as STEM education. Through experiential classrooms, we are making STEM concepts tangible and relevant to thousands of students each year at the Science Barge, the EcoHouse, and the American Eel Outdoor Classroom. These external science labs provide rigorous, engaging, hands-on lessons tied to national standards.

Besides teaching in these field locations, we bring STEM education directly to teachers and students in their classrooms. Each year we serve thousands of students, reinforcing concepts they learned at our experiential centers and in other programs. A federally-funded study concluded that Science Barge workshops with in-school reinforcement increased student STEM retention by more than 50%.

Our newest sustainability education programming focuses on climate change and resiliency education and includes a robust climate change curriculum for educators. Partners include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Sarah Lawrence College’s Center for the Urban River at Beczak, and Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory.