Place-based education is emerging as an innovative and effective way to strengthen civic engagement, connections between public lands and communities, and resource stewardship. The Center for Place-Based Learning and Community Engagement is one of 32 research learning centers around the country initiated through the NPS Natural Resource Challenge. Through this center, the CSI and its partners contribute to the state of the art in place-based education, research, and evaluation of programs on national parks and other public lands.

To share lessons learned, the center co-sponsored “Promise of Place: Community-based Education in the Northern Forest Region” in November 2002 and again in March 2004. The center has also offered “Principles and Best Practices for Place-based Education,” a training program for public land managers and educators regionally and nationally through the Gateway Communities
Leadership Training Program.

Read more about the Gateway Communities Leadership Program.