Local pathways to sustainability education policies: a Comparative case study of three large school districts in the USA

How do similar sustainability education policies unfold in fundamentally distinct locations? Over the past two decades, a growing number of school districts in the United States have enacted such policies through the implementation of efforts to simultaneously reduce the district’s carbon footprint and provide related educational programming. This article compares the factors and actors that shaped these policies in three large school districts. The findings are based on 53 semi-structured interviews with policy makers at the state and district level, as well as educational non-profit organizations. Grounded in an Advocacy Coalition Framework to untangle the policy process, the study finds that the policies in the New York City Public Schools and Denver Public Schools are mostly influenced by external factors such as the city’s sustainability plan, public opinion, and support from a broader environmental education movement. In contrast, gubernatorial influence, and joint action of the sustainability team, parents and students forged a different pathway at Prince William County Public Schools. The study informs policy makers about the plurality of local pathways to sustainability education policies at the subnational level and highlights the actors and factors that drive this policy change.