Maryland Green Schools Progress Report
In 2020/21, the “Maryland Green Schools Act of 2019” provided funding to expand efforts to support schools toward sustainability. With this, MAEOE has a goal of supporting 50% of all schools in Maryland to become awarded Maryland Green Schools by 2026. Mandated external evaluation first-year quantitative assessment is now available.
Highlights include:
- 42% of all public schools are participating in the program
- Approximately 430,000 students attend a Maryland Green School; MD Green Schools provide opportunities that prepare students for future jobs, support environmental Literacy COMAR, and position students to take action to mitigate climate change today and in the future
- 8 school districts have over 50% participations, 2 of those have achieved 100% (Calvert County and Queen Anne’s County)
- Maryland Green Schools support local school district sustainability efforts
The evaluation is provided by J. Sickler Consulting.
In the first year of state funding, the external evaluation led a quantitative assessment of progress toward its 50% goal. Specifically, evaluation comparatively examined the characteristics of schools that have and have not achieved MDGS status. This comparison sought to reveal the program’s current progress, areas of strength and opportunities for growth to reach the 50% target by 2026. Evaluation drew upon: (1) MAEOE’s historic records of schools that have currently or previously been awarded MDGS status; (2) State-level data about all public and private schools available through NCES; (3) Environmental impact metrics reported in 2021 MDGS applications.
