ormal education in schools is an important opportunity to communicate the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to students, ultimately building crucial understanding of sustainable development and action among young people (and their parents) at a local level. However, a recent survey by the Smithsonian Science Education Center and Gallup of educators in Brazil, Canada, France, India, and the United States reveals high variability in whether nations are including the SDGs in school curriculum. The low attention to SDGs in some countries, particularly the U.S., may be improved through better support from education stakeholders as well as attention to policy decisions that drive curriculum standards (that is, academic topics and content taught in the classroom).
Wide Disparities in Countries’ Inclusion of the SDG’s in School
Teachers’ perceptions of the inclusion of the SDGs in K-12 curriculum across five countries shows wide disparities, with no country consistently outpacing the others in every SDG. When asked if the SDGs were included in their school curriculum, the U.S. consistently ranks near last, where roughly 40% (on average) of educators say each of the SDG’s is either a standalone topic in classroom curriculum or incorporated into other subjects, as shown in Figure 1. Each of the other countries studied ranks higher, with Brazil educators being the most likely (average 79%) to say the SDG’s have a dedicated place in curriculum.
When asked about how each of these SDG-related values aligns with their school goals, U.S. teachers are again most likely to see good health and wellbeing and reducing inequality as aligned with their school values and principles (77% and 63%, respectively), but less likely to say the same about the science-related SDGs, such as climate action (11%), clean energy (11%), clean water (17%), responsible consumption (16%), and sustainable communities (19%), as shown in Figure 2. These data demonstrate that the U.S. is often the least likely to say that science-related sustainable development topics are a dedicated part of the curriculum and aligned with their school goals, especially when compared to Brazil, Canada, and India.
Policy Implications
Why the disparity among nations? When asked about whether they have the support from key decision makers to incorporate sustainable development topics into their teaching, only 17% of U.S. teachers agree they have the necessary support, as shown in Figure 3. Teachers in other countries, particularly India and Brazil, however, report having more support from education stakeholders to incorporate sustainability into their teaching subjects (77% and 66%, respectively).
Both Brazil and India have made intentional, policy-level efforts to advance sustainability education in their schools. While various Brazilian policies have been enacted, a notable example is the National Curricular Guidelines on Environmental Education, which include explicit instruction of sustainable development and its link to environmental education. In India, environmental education has been compulsory since a supreme court judgment in 2003, although implementation challenges still exist. The country’s revised National Education Policy, released in 2020, specifically names sustainable development and living as a ”vision of the Policy” (p. 6) and calls for sustainable development to be integrated into teacher education (p. 23)."
In the U.S., where curriculum is determined locally, decentralized education regulation may make it more difficult to enact widespread change. Yet, the U.S. appears poised for action: the Smithsonian-Gallup survey showed a majority of U.S. teachers (81%) say teaching about sustainability is important—similar to their global peers; a handful of U.S. states have made environmental literacy and sustainability a priority; and today, many U.S. state standards, which drive what students should know and be able to do, include topics like “climate change” and “sustainability of human populations” in their science curriculum. However, explicit connection to the SDGs is mostly absent.
Other research syntheses across 18 countries support the need for policy-level changes. While Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) pedagogies promote the learning of skills, perspectives, and values necessary to foster sustainable societies, only 7% of teacher education programs integrate ESD into their pedagogy and many educators have yet to fully integrate the SDGs into their curriculum. Incorporating SDG’s into formal education would require inclusion in curriculum, teacher training, and education programs in and out of schools.
A New Global Imperative
In 1985, the U.S. government wrote a report called “A Nation at Risk,” which assessed the quality of teaching and learning and was an imperative for education reform in the mid-1980’s, asserting that education in the U.S. was failing. To remain globally competitive, the report said, the U.S. had to reform education, particularly in science, technology, and mathematics.
Today, we have a new global imperative: Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). ESD is essential in providing the new skills sets required to achieve a sustainable future. Yet, the Smithsonian-Gallup survey showed that teachers in the United States in particular report a lack of inclusion of sustainable development content in their curriculum, particularly for science-related SDGs. Within other countries studied, gaps exist between the SDG’s, with some receiving more attention than others and with no country consistently outpacing the others in every SDG.
The SDGs can be used as a framework to ensure quality education that builds students’ skills for a sustainable future, especially skills that help students address deep scientific questions and tackle broad societal needs. Moreover, incorporating sustainable development in the school curriculum can serve as a foundation for achieving the SDGs by 2030.
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Educators Report Global Disparities in Inclusion of SDGs in Curriculae
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September 21, 2023
Formal education in schools is important for communicating about sustainable development to young people. A survey by Gallup and the Smithsonian Science Education Center reveals wide disparities in support for sustainable development in curriculae, write Carol O'Donnell and Andrea Malek Ash.
F
ormal education in schools is an important opportunity to communicate the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to students, ultimately building crucial understanding of sustainable development and action among young people (and their parents) at a local level. However, a recent survey by the Smithsonian Science Education Center and Gallup of educators in Brazil, Canada, France, India, and the United States reveals high variability in whether nations are including the SDGs in school curriculum. The low attention to SDGs in some countries, particularly the U.S., may be improved through better support from education stakeholders as well as attention to policy decisions that drive curriculum standards (that is, academic topics and content taught in the classroom).
Wide Disparities in Countries’ Inclusion of the SDG’s in School
Teachers’ perceptions of the inclusion of the SDGs in K-12 curriculum across five countries shows wide disparities, with no country consistently outpacing the others in every SDG. When asked if the SDGs were included in their school curriculum, the U.S. consistently ranks near last, where roughly 40% (on average) of educators say each of the SDG’s is either a standalone topic in classroom curriculum or incorporated into other subjects, as shown in Figure 1. Each of the other countries studied ranks higher, with Brazil educators being the most likely (average 79%) to say the SDG’s have a dedicated place in curriculum.
When asked about how each of these SDG-related values aligns with their school goals, U.S. teachers are again most likely to see good health and wellbeing and reducing inequality as aligned with their school values and principles (77% and 63%, respectively), but less likely to say the same about the science-related SDGs, such as climate action (11%), clean energy (11%), clean water (17%), responsible consumption (16%), and sustainable communities (19%), as shown in Figure 2. These data demonstrate that the U.S. is often the least likely to say that science-related sustainable development topics are a dedicated part of the curriculum and aligned with their school goals, especially when compared to Brazil, Canada, and India.
Policy Implications
Why the disparity among nations? When asked about whether they have the support from key decision makers to incorporate sustainable development topics into their teaching, only 17% of U.S. teachers agree they have the necessary support, as shown in Figure 3. Teachers in other countries, particularly India and Brazil, however, report having more support from education stakeholders to incorporate sustainability into their teaching subjects (77% and 66%, respectively).
Both Brazil and India have made intentional, policy-level efforts to advance sustainability education in their schools. While various Brazilian policies have been enacted, a notable example is the National Curricular Guidelines on Environmental Education, which include explicit instruction of sustainable development and its link to environmental education. In India, environmental education has been compulsory since a supreme court judgment in 2003, although implementation challenges still exist. The country’s revised National Education Policy, released in 2020, specifically names sustainable development and living as a ”vision of the Policy” (p. 6) and calls for sustainable development to be integrated into teacher education (p. 23)."
In the U.S., where curriculum is determined locally, decentralized education regulation may make it more difficult to enact widespread change. Yet, the U.S. appears poised for action: the Smithsonian-Gallup survey showed a majority of U.S. teachers (81%) say teaching about sustainability is important—similar to their global peers; a handful of U.S. states have made environmental literacy and sustainability a priority; and today, many U.S. state standards, which drive what students should know and be able to do, include topics like “climate change” and “sustainability of human populations” in their science curriculum. However, explicit connection to the SDGs is mostly absent.
Other research syntheses across 18 countries support the need for policy-level changes. While Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) pedagogies promote the learning of skills, perspectives, and values necessary to foster sustainable societies, only 7% of teacher education programs integrate ESD into their pedagogy and many educators have yet to fully integrate the SDGs into their curriculum. Incorporating SDG’s into formal education would require inclusion in curriculum, teacher training, and education programs in and out of schools.
A New Global Imperative
In 1985, the U.S. government wrote a report called “A Nation at Risk,” which assessed the quality of teaching and learning and was an imperative for education reform in the mid-1980’s, asserting that education in the U.S. was failing. To remain globally competitive, the report said, the U.S. had to reform education, particularly in science, technology, and mathematics.
Today, we have a new global imperative: Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). ESD is essential in providing the new skills sets required to achieve a sustainable future. Yet, the Smithsonian-Gallup survey showed that teachers in the United States in particular report a lack of inclusion of sustainable development content in their curriculum, particularly for science-related SDGs. Within other countries studied, gaps exist between the SDG’s, with some receiving more attention than others and with no country consistently outpacing the others in every SDG.
The SDGs can be used as a framework to ensure quality education that builds students’ skills for a sustainable future, especially skills that help students address deep scientific questions and tackle broad societal needs. Moreover, incorporating sustainable development in the school curriculum can serve as a foundation for achieving the SDGs by 2030.
