Michael Creasey to lead Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park and Conservation Study Institute

More Information...


____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Assessment Handbook Tool

The Institute and its partners developed Beyond Outreach Handbook: A Guide to Designing Effective Programs to Engage Diverse Communities pdf 798kb. This handbook represents an important new tool to assist National Park Service (NPS) managers and practitioners and their partners in developing programs that successfully connect diverse communities with their local national parks. It guides practitioners through an assessment that identifies gaps in readiness and informs the development of an effective engagement strategy.








____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Network for Innovation and Creativity

The Network for Innovation and Creativity is a bold and forward-thinking initiative, with the goal to rapidly share knowledge, new approaches, and insights from practical experience to solve mission-critical problems and advance organizational excellence. As an initial phase of the Network, a pilot is being conducted focused on youth development programs, a cross-cutting high priority area where new approaches are urgently needed. Youth development programs are designed to deeply engage youth in the NPS by fostering lasting relationships through multiple interactions often over several years. These programs have the long-term goal of creating pathways for youth to become full-time NPS employees and develop a stewardship ethic. The Deputy Director's Office and the NLC have asked the NPS Conservation Study Institute to conduct this experimental pilot in partnership with NPS Youth Program Office.

Network for Innovation and Change Concept and Update pdf 225kb
Communities of Practice Annotated Bibliography pdf 574kb

For additional information contact:
Rebecca_Stanfield_McCown@nps.gov
Rebecca Stanfield McCown
Community Engagement and Partnerships Coordinator
Conservation Study Institute
802-457-3368 ext.19
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Superintendents Leadership Roundtable

The Superintendents Leadership Roundtable is a national program managed by the Conservation Study Institute that enhances the capacity of the National Park Service to seize leadership opportunities and meet the challenges associated with increasing complexity of park management. The Leadership Roundtable program, creates a national network of NPS leaders better able to negotiate complicated issues, embrace innovation, and build the commitment of a diverse public for the stewardship of our national system of parks into the next century.

 

 

Superintendents' Leadership Roundtable Program materials:
Brochure
Bibliography

Qualitative Evaluation of the Superintendents Leadership Roundtable
Full Report
Executive Summary

Best Practices for 21st Century Relevancy

Engaging an increasingly diverse population is critical to the future of our national system of parks and special places. The Institute, the Northeast Region Office of Interpretation and Education and the University of Vermont together are sponsoring research through a doctoral fellowship project to identify best practices for engaging new diverse audiences.

Engaging Community & Youth

The Institute and its parnters developed Beyond Outreach Handbook: A Guide to Designing Effective Programs to Engage Diverse Communities(pdf 798kb). This handbook represents an important new tool to assist National Park Service (NPS) managers and practitioners and their partners in developing programs that successfully connect diverse communities with their local national parks. It guides practitioners through an assessment that identifies gaps in readiness and informs the development of an effective engagement strategy.

The Institute, working with the Northeast Region Office of Interpretation and Education, and partners completed a web-based civic engagement manual, Stronger Together: A manual on the Principles and Practices of Civic Engagement (pdf 1.0MB)

Evaluation

The Institute is also developing evaluation programs to support engaging young adults in sustainability and conservation related careers. See the related narrative and PowerPoint presentation for details of evaluation research to Support National Park Service 21st Century Relevancy Initiatives.

Evaluating & Replicating Place-based Education Programs

In partnership with Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP, Green Mountain National Forest, Shelburne Farms and Northeast Office of National Wildlife Federation, the Institute participates in a place-based education evaluation collaborative to evaluate and support replication of programs such as:
A Forest for Every Classroom



The Benefits of Place-based Education: A Report from the Place-based Education Evaluation Collaborative
(2nd Edition) pdf 748 kb

"...place-based education fosters students' connection to place and creates vibrant partnerships between schools and communities. It boosts student achievement and improves environmental, social, and economic vitality."