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Plan
Development of the MERITO Plan took place from October 2000 to
March 2001. Sanctuary staff collected need assessment information
during thirty individual meetings with community leaders representing
local community groups, school districts, universities, non-profit
organizations, city, state and federal agencies, and the farm industry.
The personal interviews resulted in a list of critical needs that
needed to be addressed in order for the MERITO Plan to provide effective
multicultural education. The needs were evaluated and grouped into
common themes:
- Outreach instruction - provide bilingual education staff for in-school and community-based programs that focus on Sanctuary-related and conservation programs,
- Outreach materials - provide bilingual lesson plans, posters, kits and other educational materials for in-class, after-school, and community-based programs,
- Teacher Professional Development - provide science enrichment opportunities to pre-service and in-service Hispanic teachers, as well as supplemental lesson plans, teacher kits, and other materials for more effective classroom lessons and field activities,
- Field Trip Instruction - provide bilingual education staff to lead field activities,
- Field Trip Transportation - provide vehicles or funding for vehicles to transport groups to field trip site,
- Student Internships - provide paid-internship opportunities for Hispanic students,
- Community Event Support - provide hands-on activities and other resources (food, music) to support various Hispanic community events,
- Conference Support - attend career fairs, coordinate and host field trip enrichment activities,
- Job Shadowing & Mentorship - provide opportunities for Hispanic high school and undergraduate students to follow marine professionals for a day,
- In-kind Support - provide science lab equipment, supplies, computers, etc. to support school and college programs.
The MBNMS Multicultural Education Plan is a multi-agency, long-term collaborative program that utilizes a multi-pronged approach to expand and improve outreach and education to local Hispanic communities. It will build upon and provide support for existing education efforts and also initiate new programs that will enhance understanding of our complex and important relationship with the marine environment. NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary System is interested in using the MBNMS Multicultural Education Plan as a model marine conservation outreach and education program for other marine sanctuaries nationwide.
You may view the entire MERITO Plan online. The entire web page may take several seconds to download. Alternatively, you may download the MERITO plan as a PDF file.
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