Supporting secondary teachers’ interest in adopting climate-related curricular resources

The <i>Next Generation Science Standards</i> (NGSS) provide guidance for climate education and scientific epistemology in secondary schools. This includes tools like climate models and observational data to help students understand global climate patterns. Despite this, teachers often have limited access to standards-based instructional resources on Earth’s climate and global climate change (GCC). In 2022, we implemented a one-week national professional development program (PDP) for secondary teachers introducing two NGSS-aligned climate-related curricula: i) the EzGCM global climate model for students, and ii) carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies. Our study explored, <i>i) what demographic factors are associated with teachers’ assessments of these resources?</i> and <i>ii) what criteria do teachers consider when evaluating the potential adoption of climate-related curricula?</i> We collected quantitative data from <i>N =</i> 55 teachers and conducted interviews with <i>n =</i> 7 participants. A mixed methods approach was used, integrating quantitative analysis to identify trends and qualitative analysis to explain contextual factors influencing teacher’s perceptions. Findings suggest teachers perceived the curricula as valuable to enhance students’ understanding of climate vocabulary, inquiry-based learning, research practices, and data modeling. Teachers also highlighted the importance of curricular usability across diverse student groups, and the need for access to technology. Supports that could facilitate adoption included contextualized curricular resources and aids, and varied teaching strategies. While this study does not directly assess classroom adoption, it offers insights into teachers’ evaluations of climate-related curricula and underscores how short-term PDPs can support their readiness and intent to integrate such resources into instruction.