Agriculture, food, and environmental (AFE) education provides numerous benefits for schools and communities. In Washington D.C., about half of all public schools have a school garden, one measure of AFE education. However, disparities exist in schools’ access to agriculture, food and environmental education. According to our analysis of data from DC’s Healthy School Profiles, students attending a Title I school (defined as 40 percent or more of students qualifying for free or reduced meals) were less likely to attend a school with a school garden than students attending a school serving fewer economically disadvantaged students. Nearly three quarters (72 percent) of non-Title I schools have a school garden, compared to 46 percent of Title I schools. The goal of the OSSE Healthy Schools Grant Place-Based Education Grant was to develop a professional development series to “build the capacity of teachers, school staff, community-based organization staff, and community members to effectively integrate agriculture, environment, and nutrition concepts and then incorporate these concepts into instruction.” This report summarizes the main themes and findings from the background research, needs assessment focus groups, and evaluation research completed for the OSSE HSG grant from May through September 2021.

Access the full report here.