Launched in 2017 as a Google Innovator Project, The National Park Classroom (formerly Park Based Learning) has helped thousands of educators, both inside and outside the classroom, connect their learners to what has been called "America's best idea".   

 

Our mission is to support all educators in connecting their learners to the natural and cultural heritage encompassed within our national parks so that they might become the future stewards of these treasured spaces. Our efforts focus on three specific areas;

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• Facilitate workshops for educators that introduce them to our research-supported framework that is learner-centered, inquiry-based, place conscious, and rooted in equity.

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• Help educators develop engaging curriculum and programs that connect classrooms to parks in ways that are authentic and develop 21st century skills and competencies. 

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• Create connects between classroom educators passionate about public lands with those working to interpret and preserve those places. 

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The project has been featured on many influential educational blogs such as Edutopia, National Geographic, and ISTE. It has received wide acclaim when presented to audiences nationally and internationally at educational conferences such as FETC, NSTA, and ISTE as well as those focused on public lands such as NAI, NAAEE, and IASNR. Our project was featured in a segmented broadcast on PBS.