East Feliciana Parish Schools Embrace Place-Based Education as a Way To Lift Scores on Louisiana's High-Stakes Tests. Rural Trust Featured Project.

East Feliciana Parish (Louisiana) has raised achievement scores by involving students in hands-on projects related to community needs and resources. Project Connect, a hands-on science and math program begun by the Delta Rural Systemic Initiative, has expanded into a comprehensive place-based program. In response to new state standards, teams of teachers visited place-based education programs elsewhere in the country, seeking advice and ideas from rural educators coping with comparable challenges: low-income populations, struggling local economies, shortages of certified teachers, large proportion of at-risk students, and few local career opportunities for high school graduates. Although 80 percent of district students are African American, the teachers found much to share with teachers working in White, Northern, rural schools. The Louisiana teachers saw examples of student-designed economic development projects and learned the skills of nature study and journaling. Project Connect has also organized 10-day teacher workshops that present skills and concepts of outdoor fieldwork and methods of designing place-based projects aligned with Louisiana's academic standards. Community and Americorps volunteers built nature trails near three schools, providing access to creeks where students monitor water quality and explore the natural environment. The benefits of outdoor hands-on learning are discussed. (SV)