Marketing Curriculum Based, Conservation Focused Field Trips to Underserved Public Schools: An Integrated Approach

Roots, Botanic Gardens International Education Review. Botanic Gardens Conservation International. Vol. 12, Num. 1, June 2015.

Keith P. Tomlinson, Jules R. Maloney, Carolyn B. Ramwell

From 2012 to 2014 Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (MBG) initiated a marketing strategy with multiple Title I Schools in the suburban Washington DC region through a grant from the Volgenau Foundation Title I schools are defined if 40% or more of the students receive supplemental lunch programs and classroom instructional support. Annually this federally funded program provides over $14 billion to 56,000 schools in the United States for students at risk of academic failure and living at or near poverty.

Anticipating administrative challenges, MBG developed a marketing approach focused on teacher training, classroom enrichment, curricular coordination and financial assistance with transportation.  In addition, the psycho-social benefits of interacting with nature through physical activity and facilitated interpretation formed an overarching theme.  This marketing strategy fostered teacher, parent and student engagement while integrating long established conservation priorities based on native plant conservation and river basin/ecoregion biogeography at MBG (Tomlinson, K., et al., 2005). Previously Title I schools made up less than 10% of our elementary and middle school visitation. This is due in part to the fact that Meadowlark is located in one of the wealthiest suburbs in the United States. However, the economic geography of the greater region is diverse and represents notable household income variability. This is due in part to long-term, dynamic immigration trends to the region. It’s not uncommon to have 30 or more languages spoken at a single Title I school.

Identifying needs and expectations of Title I schools

Student populations at Title I schools are frequently living in homes with limited financial resources and social mobility. There is often a direct correlation in academic underperformance (Borman, G.D., & D’Agostino, J.V. 1996) The program focused on appealing to the unique organizational objectives of Title I schools. We took into account curricular and psycho-social strategies for classroom success in these schools. Field trips reinforced classroom science curriculum and student socialization. Parent and teachers are expected to participate beyond class management. Parents attend field trips as chaperones, their presence is a perfect opportunity to encourage return visits with the entire family. In this process we strived to combine formal and informal learning steeped in the aesthetic medium of the garden.

In marketing these programs Meadowlark staff considered the students and schools from a holistic perspective, including staff support to encourage field trips. It was realized teachers typically needed more planning support than non-Title I schools. The combination of demands in Title I schools makes for a challenging teaching environment. Many of the students speak English as a second language (for which there is special support). This, in turn, leads to learning challenges associated with text and instructional material. I addition, teachers must follow a curriculum dictated by state administrated Standards of Learning (SOLs).

We marketed teacher engagement as a specific need from the beginning in combination with the distribution of ideas; mainly the idea that conserving plant diversity is central to human well-being at the regional, national and global level. As a result, several teacher workshops were held at the garden. These focused on Meadowlarks Potomac Valley Native Plant Collection. Thus, the topics included floristics, river basin geography, clean water access and biodiversity conservation in general.

Collectively our strategy as a public garden for this program focused on the unmet needs of Title I schools. These include: exposure to a high quality natural setting; support with integrating SOL mandated science curriculum, teacher training and actively celebrating the cultural and linguistic diversity of the students.

Integrating the particular garden experience to the underserved audience

In the Washington, D.C. Region most of the nature Title I students are exposed to is highly urbanized. City parks and recreation facilities near Title I schools typically feature paved ball courts, poorly maintained turf and exotic or invasive trees. It’s common that these areas receive less care and funding in municipal budgets. We specifically marketed the garden to teachers as an exceptional space, both aesthetically and biologically. Moreover, we integrated the natural science SOLs into field trip topics. This provided teachers with a curricular foundation to take back to the classroom.

 As a public space Meadowlark embodies several programmatic assets; large ornamental collections, focused conservation collections, three lakes and a visually engaging topography. We knew the garden would be appealing to Title I students and staff as a carefully managed intriguing landscape. Ideally, the emotive quality of the garden has a foundational appeal for all visitors’ especially underserved youth. This broad appeal was a fundamental marketing point in recruiting field trips. Any garden engaging underserved audiences will need to market its particular aesthetic and educational attractions. Ultimately, the gardens and collections must be interpreted as a remarkable open air classroom. This is a baseline for effective marketing to populations with limited economic and social assets.

 

Once the aesthetic theme is established, collections based education follows. Meadowlark conservation collections are specifically developed to educate visitors about regional plant diversity as related to local natural history. Accordingly, we work to interpret landforms, ecoregions, surface geology and basic ecology (Tomlinson, K. & A., Tomlinson, 2010). This approach works well for elementary SOL objectives focused on natural science topics with a local focus. Our experience suggests the classic hands-on experiential approach to nature interpretation is a strong driver of cognitive prowess in underserved students. Recognition of the outdoor recreation-cognition connection has grown considerably in the last decade (ref4)

 Additional experiences that market your gardens mission and resources

With the educational aesthetic and cognitive objectives established as marketing priorities, we also consider the basic tenants of child well-being and physical activity. Most field trips the MBG will involve walking about three kilometers. The 38 hectare property features both paved and mulched trails. Students negotiate these trails at variable walking speeds with interspersed breaks for interpretation. We actively encourage running on our “Great Lawn”. In addition, children are allowed to roll down an adjacent hillside. These actives lend a discreet yet robust physical element to the day’s activities. Several studies clearly illustrate the benefits of physical exertion and increased learning potential (Rauner, R., et al., 2013).  Every garden will have differing resources that engender physical activity as part of the field trip experience. But the specific inclusion of such activities is strong marketing tool.

 Identifying ways to reach potential audiences

This grant funded program was specifically tailored to Title I schools and educators.  Funding allowed teachers to earn a modest stipend for attending a two day workshop. Email, Facebook, websites and tradition mail were used to market these specific workshops. Personal contact with school Principal’s was also useful. Teachers are encouraged to work with MGB staff to foster a continuum of formal

and informal learning collaboration bring the garden and school together. We also offer school visits to supplement teacher led activities. This can include developing school yard gardens.

While attending the workshop teachers were given a newly published map of the Potomac River Basin designed specifically for classroom use. The map emphasizes the physical geography of the river basin and highlights the areas of geologic and botanical interest. Grant funding also paid for travel expenses from school to the garden. This was a particularly welcome aspect of the grant as schools systems cut field trips first when budget short falls occur. Collectively, these incentives proved to be a highly effective marketing strategy in bringing groups to MBG.

 Audience satisfaction and post program evaluation

While Title I students are at the heart of the program, teachers are the best evaluators of the experience. Our post trip evaluations solicit comments in three specific areas:

-Field trip planning process, including-reservations, pre-trip materials provided, friendliness & responsiveness, program content and interpreter quality.

-The Program, including-content & activities, content relevance for your students, activities were engaging for students and overall satisfaction level.           

-The Educators, including-your assigned educator was organized, your educator was well prepared, your educator was knowledgeable.

Increasing the visitation of underserved audiences requires more planning and outreach in the marketing process. Marketing strategies will by necessity vary from one institution to another based on spatial assets, collections, staffing and specific school needs. While these programs are potentially attractive to donors, funding should be included in annual operating budgets when possible. Ideally, social relevance for botanical gardens will increase with programmatic diversity and effective marketing. From conception to execution reaching underserved audiences is a unique challenge. Public gardens that rise to these challenges offer an important service to individuals and groups. Effective marketing need not be a commercial enterprise. Effective marketing need not be a commercial enterprise; it's a social contract endowed by the recognition that every person counts, regardless of social or economic standing. This integrated approach to marketing benefits students, teachers and gardens mutually.

 

Keith P. Tomlinson, Manager, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, Biology Fellow Washington D.C. Academy of Science

Vienna, Virginia USA Email: ktomlinson@nvrpa.org

 
Jules R. Maloney, Program Specialist

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

Vienna, Virginia USA Email:jmaloney@nvrpa.org

Carolyn B. Ramwell, MSN, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Martha Jefferson Hospital Faculty, University of Phoenix

Charlottesville, Virginia USA. Email:cramwell@gmail.com

References:

Borman, G.D., & D’Agostino, J.V. 1996, Title I and student achievement: A meta-analysis of federal evaluation results. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 18, 309-326.

Louve, R, 2012, The Nature Principle. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill

Tomlinson, K., A. Tomlinson 2010, Educating for Sustainable Horticulture. Roots: Botanic Gardens Conservation International Education Review. Vol. 7 # 2.

Tomlinson, K., Becht, G., Brodkey, D. 2005, Conservation Collections at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, USA: Supporting the International Agenda and Educating the Public. Botanic Gardens Journal, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Vol.2 #2.

Rauner, R., Walters, R., Avery, M., Wanser, T. 2013, Evidence that aerobic fitness is more salient than weight status in predicting standardized math and reading outcomes in fourth- through eighth-grade students. Journal of  Pediatrics. Aug; 163(2):344-8.