Climate Readiness in California’s TK-12 Schools: A Resilience and Adaptation Toolkit

This Climate Resilience and Adaptation Toolkit for CA TK-12 Schools has been developed by Ten Strands and UndauntedK12, in Partnership with the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE), with a focus on tools and resources that can support school communities and leaders to build resilience to the impacts of climate-related events.

TOOLKIT OVERVIEW

Climate resilience is the ability to prepare for, recover from, and adapt to the long-term impacts of climate change as well as acute emergencies caused by extreme weather events that are increasing in frequency and duration due to climate change.

California’s TK-12 School communities are already experiencing the impacts of our changing climate and are having to navigate the challenges related to these impacts such as disruptions in learning, abscesses, emotional trauma, physical damage to buildings and infrastructure, and costly repairs. Climate driven disasters can often result in damage to school buildings, thereby putting strain on the physical infrastructure of a school and on limited school district budgets. Schools need to think differently about climate and weather related emergencies, and transition to a climate ready paradigm.

This toolkit places a specific emphasis on how school leaders can adapt school buildings and grounds to be resilient to the impacts of climate change.

The primary audience for this toolkit are school leaders (Superintendents, School Board Members, Chief Business Officers, Facilities Managers, Leaders for Curriculum and Instruction and Student Services, Principals, etc.). Secondary audiences for this toolkit include leaders and staff at County Offices of Education, state agency leaders and policymakers, teachers, parents, and other school community members.

TOOLKIT SECTIONS

This toolkit Includes two different sections - one focused on comprehensive big picture planning with a climate ready mindset, and the other with resources for specific climate adaptation topics.

Global Thinking Around Emergency Preparedness and Response

Topical Toolkit: Energy and Grid Resilience, Stormwater Management, High Heat, and Wildfire

EXISTING RESOURCES AND REFERENCES

This toolkit builds on already existing resources calling for action and providing recommendations, which can be explored below.

Climate Resilient California Schools: A Call to Action Report and Policy Forum for Climate Resilient Schools

Climate Resilient California Schools: A Call to Action Report and Policy Forum for Climate Resilient Schools: This report, released in March of 2023 and policy forum in April 2023, envisions California schools that help to mitigate both the causes and the impacts of climate change. This is the first comprehensive report on climate-driven impacts on children in California, drawing together research from pediatrics, public health, and education under the leadership of Stanford University’s Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research, the Action Lab for Planetary Health at Stanford Medicine’s Center for Innovation in Global Health, the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Cities + Schools, Ten Strands, and UndauntedK12.

Aspen Institute’s This is Planet Ed - Empowering our K-12 Schools to Advance Climate Action

Aspen Institute’s This is Planet Ed - Empowering our K-12 Schools to Advance Climate Action: This initiative aims to unlock the power of education as a force for climate action and solutions, by providing a backbone, framework, and narrative for broader collective action across education. This is Planet Ed fosters advocates and champions for climate action across early childhood, children’s media, K-12 schools, and higher education; focuses the sector around key goals and roadmaps for action; and catalyzes action, track progress, share best practices and build the narrative for action through media and communications.

Center for Green Schools: Preparing Schools for Climate Resiliency

The Center for Green School's "Preparing Schools for Climate Resilience" (2024) publication illustrates how climate resiliency planning can be integrated into existing planning structures at school districts. Additionally, it includes specific action strategies and school case studies across four major climate risks.

2021 US ED Climate Adaptation Plan

2021 US ED Climate Adaptation Plan: The September 2021 Climate Adaptation Plan from the U.S. Department of Education provides a framework to integrate climate adaptation into management decisions and operations and identifies new opportunities to inform a management, leadership, and policy response based on the identified effects of climate change now and in the future.

CalOES and CDE guide: California Emergency Management for Schools: A Guide for Districts and Sites

CalOES and CDE guide: California Emergency Management for Schools: A Guide for Districts and Sites: This guide, a collaboration between the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and the California Department of Education (CDE), is a tool to assist in implementing comprehensive school safety planning and provides relevant information, resources, and tools for educational administrators, faculty, and staff.

Climate Impact Focus Areas - Overview and Adaptation Analysis for San Mateo County TK-12 Schools

Climate Impact Focus Areas - Overview and Adaptation Analysis for San Mateo County TK-12 Schools: This document supports educational leaders, school safety officers, and those involved in emergency planning for San Mateo County TK-12 schools with data and strategies for preparing their school community to be climate resilient.

Climate Resilient California and Californians (CRC2)

Climate Resilient California and Californians (CRC2): This initiative is a follow-on to the one of its kind Vatican summits on climate resilience held at the Vatican during May 15th to May 17th, 2024, which led to the release of a call for action called: Planetary Call for Action to Climate Change Resilience. This document, signed by Pope Francis and Governors and Mayors from around the world (including Governor Gavin Newsom), calls for regional action that culminates in the development and implementation of regional resilience blueprints.

CA Schools Climate Hazard Dashboard

CA Schools Climate Hazard Dashboard: This dashboard provides localized climate hazard data for over 10,000 public schools across California. Note the data is by school site, and not organized by district or county.

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