6500-04 CEQ-EPA Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental

CEQ-EPA Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators
Application
Program History
The Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators (PIAEE) recognizes
outstanding kindergarten through grade 12 teachers who employ innovative approaches to
environmental education and use the environment as a context for learning for their students. Up
to two teachers from each of EPA’s 10 regions, from different states, will be selected for this
award. Since the passage of the 1990 National Environmental Education Act, the White House
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), administers this award to nationally honor, support and encourage educators who
incorporate environmental education in their classrooms and teaching methods.

Eligibility
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Teach K-12 on a full-time basis in a public school that is operated by a local education
agency1, including schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs;
Hold a current teaching license from the state (or valid reciprocity from the state for a license
from another state);
Have a minimum of 5 years of K-12 teaching experience, including at least 3 years of
teaching environmental education;
Anticipate a classroom teaching assignment involving environmental education for the
upcoming school year;
Be a citizen of the United States, its territories or possessions, or lawfully admitted to the
United States for permanent residency2;
Has not been a recipient of this award in the past 5 years; and
Completed signed and dated EPA Multi-media consent release form.

Application Requirements:
There are 5 sections to the application:
Section 1: General Information about the teacher
Teachers will provide contact information, perform an eligibility review, and a provide summary
of teaching experience.

For this program, a local education agency is one as defined by section 198 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (now codified at 20 U.S.C. 7801(26)).
2
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services defines lawful permanent residency as any person not a citizen of the
United States who is residing in the United States under legally recognized and lawfully recorded permanent residence
as an immigrant, also known as “Permanent Resident Alien,” “Resident Alien Permit Holder,” and “Green Card Holder.”
1

2020-2021 PIAEE Application Form
OMB Control No. 2090-0031
Approval expires: 4/30/2022

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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
EPA Form No. 6500-04

Section 2: Essays
Applicants are required to respond to essay questions addressing the selection criteria:
Innovation, Achievement, Service to the Community and Underserved Communities,
Leadership, and Integration.
Section 3: Sample Teaching Materials
Applicants must include sample teaching materials that demonstrate the teacher’s work with
students.
Section 4: Letters of Support
Each application must include 3 signed letters of support from an administrator at the teacher’s
school, a fellow teacher, and a past or current student.
Section 5: Final Checklist
Applicants must complete a final checklist, certifying that they have completed all required
sections of the applications.

Selection Criteria
Teachers must have an outstanding record of teaching. Each of the factors below is meant to
illustrate the applicant's record of teaching. Applicants will be judged by the responses to the
questions in each of these five factors, as well as their sample teaching materials and letters of
support.
Innovation (25 points)
A. How does the teacher make learning about the environment unique, fun and exciting for
his or her students? For example, does the teacher use experiential or place-based
learning in ways that go above and beyond the practices of other teachers? Please be sure
to demonstrate or exemplify this in the sample teaching materials.
B. How does the teacher tailor his/her teaching methods to the needs of his/her student
population?
C. How does the teacher use any of the following topics as a basis to teach about
environmental sustainability: climate change; a healthy school environment;
environmentallyfriendly agriculture practices; human contributions to ocean litter and
how to prevent it; school gardens; recycling; or STEM education?
Achievement (15 points)
A. What positive changes has the teacher seen in student academic achievement
and behavior or attitude because of participation in the teacher’s environmental
education program?

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Service to the Community and Underserved Populations (20 points)
Many schools are part of communities that include minority, indigenous, low-income and
underserved populations. Communities and their schools may also be in places that are heavily
impacted by environmental pollution. While your community and school may or may not be
considered one that is impacted, please answer the following.
A. How does the teacher extend environmental education beyond the classroom? Are the
teacher’s students participating beyond the classroom in environmental, conservation, or
earth science extracurricular or community-based projects and activities?
B. How does the teacher inspire the surrounding community, including parents/guardians
and members of the community to participate in environmental education activities?
Leadership (15 points)
A. How does the teacher serve as a model for students and teachers with his/her approaches
to teaching about the environment?
Integration (10 points)
A. How does the teacher help to integrate environmental education into the broader school
curriculum or coordinate environmental education with other teachers and academic
subjects?
Sample Teaching Materials (10 points)
Letters of Support (5 points)

Winners and Honorable Mentions
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Winners will receive a Presidential award plaque and up to $2,500 to be used to
further their professional development in environmental education.
Award winners’ local education agencies will also receive up to $2,500 to fund
environmental activities and programs. These funds cannot be used for
construction costs, general expenses, salaries, bonuses, or other administrative
expenses.
A congratulatory letter from a senior official from EPA and/or the White House.
Honorable Mention recipients will receive certificates of recognition.

Program Timeline
Application Deadline: April 30, 2021
Notification of Application Status: May 2021
EPA and White House Press Release Announcing Winners: Summer 2021

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Submission Instructions
• Applications are accepted electronically and by hard copy. We prefer to receive
applications by email.
• All applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. ET on April 30, 2021.
• Please ensure that the required supporting materials are included with the application
submissions – a checklist is found on the last page of this application.
• All applicants will receive an email confirmation that their application was received.
Electronic Submissions
Email complete application package, including all supporting materials, to
PIAEE@epa.gov. Please include “Application for 2020-2021 PIAEE” in the subject line.
Hard Copy Submissions
Hard copies must be sent by a commercial delivery service and must be delivered by 5 p.m.
ET on April 30, 2021 to be eligible for consideration. All applicants will receive a
confirmation email upon receipt. For this year’s competition, applicants are strongly
encouraged to submit all application materials electronically(email). If you plan to mail
some or all of your application materials, please contact us at PIAEE@epa.gov so that we
can ensure that they are received.
Mail complete application package to:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Environmental Education
Attn: Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators
William Jefferson Clinton Building North, Room 1426-A
1200 Pennsylvania Ave NW, MC 1704-A
Washington, DC 20460
The public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is
estimated to average 10 hours per response. Send comments on the Agency's need for this
information, the accuracy of the provided burden estimates, and any suggested methods for
minimizing respondent burden, including using automated collection techniques to the
Director, Collection Strategies Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2822T),
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20460. Include the OMB control number
in any correspondence. Do not send the completed form to this address.

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Application Section 1: Contact
Teacher Contact Information:
Prefix:

*required information

*First Name:

*Last Name:

MI:

Suffix:

*Primary Email Address:
Secondary Email Address:
*Preferred Phone:
School Information:
*School Name & Street Address:

*City:

*State:

*Zip:

*School Email address:
*School Website:
*School Tax ID#:

*Phone #:

Fax #:

*Principal Name:

*Principal Email:

*Principal Phone:

Grades:
K

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

10th

11th

12th

Teaching Experience:
How many years has the teacher taught K-12?

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Eligibility:
Check each box to confirm that the teacher meets the general eligibility requirements.
The teacher educates K-12 full time in a public school (including a Bureau of Indian Affairs
school) that is operated by a local education agency3.
The teacher has a teaching license from the State (or valid reciprocity from the State for a license
from another State).
The teacher has at least 5 years of teaching experience, and at least 3 years of teaching an
environment-based curriculum and/or environmental education.
The teacher has a classroom teaching assignment involving environmental education for the
coming year.
The teacher is a citizen of the United States, its territories or possessions, or lawfully admitted to
the United States for permanent residency4.
The teacher has not been a recipient of this award in the past 5 years.

Where did you hear about this award program?
EPA website

EPA Headquarters Staff

A friend or colleague

EPA Regional Staff

School Administration

Press/Media

Other (Please Specify):

For this program, a local education agency is one as defined by section 98 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (now codified at 20 U.S.C. 7801 (26)).
4
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services defines lawful permanent residency as any person not a citizen of
the United States who is residing in the United States under legally recognized and lawfully recorded permanent
residence as an immigrant, also known as “Permanent Resident Alien,” “Resident Alien Permit Holder,” and “Green
Card Holder.”
3

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Application Section 2: Essays
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Essays are listed under the following five headings: Innovation, Achievement, Service to the
Community and Underserved Populations, Leadership, and Integration.
Teachers should be certain to clearly address every question in each heading area in a
separate, attached document. Teachers must include sample teaching materials and may
reference throughout their essays.
If the teacher’s response to a question cites information provided in response to another
question, or in the sample teaching materials, the response should clearly indicate where
the information is located so that the reviewer may easily find it.
Essay length, font type and size specifications: The total length of essays must not exceed
9 pages. An essay may start on the same page as the previous essay ended. Additional pages
will not be read or evaluated. Essays are to be written in Times New Roman font, size 12,
line spacing 1.5, and margins no smaller than 1 inch.

Essay 1: Innovation
A. How does the teacher make learning about the environment unique, fun and exciting for his or
her students? For example, does the teacher using experiential or place-based learning in ways
that go above and beyond the practices of other teachers? Please be sure to demonstrate or
exemplify this in the sample teaching materials.
B. How does the teacher tailor his/her teaching methods to the needs of his/her student population?
C. How does the teacher use any of the following topics as a basis to teach about environmental
sustainability: climate change; a healthy school environment; environmentally friendly
agriculture practices; human contributions to ocean litter and how to prevent it; school gardens;
recycling; or STEM education?
Essay 2: Achievement
A. What positive changes has the teacher seen in student academic achievement and behavior or
attitude because of their participation in the environmental education program?
Essay 3: Service to the Community and Underserved Populations
Many schools are part of communities that include minority, indigenous, low-income and
underserved populations. Communities and their schools may also be in places that are heavily
impacted by environmental pollution. While your community and school may or may not be
considered one that is impacted, please answer the following.
A. How does the teacher extend environmental education beyond the classroom? Are the
teacher’s students participating beyond the classroom in environmental, conservation, or
earth science extracurricular or community based-projects and activities?
B. How does the teacher inspire the surrounding community, including parents/guardians and
members of the community, to participate in environmental education activities?
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Essay 4: Leadership
A. How does the teacher serve as a model for students and teachers with his/her approaches
to teaching about the environment?
Essay 5: Integration
A. How does the teacher help to integrate environmental education into the broader school
curriculum or coordinate environmental education with other teachers and academic
subjects?

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Application Section 3: Sample Teaching Materials
Sample teaching materials must be submitted separately as attachments to this application.
Content: Materials from one unit/curriculum or module that the teacher has taught. Indicate how
these materials were used, and how the students responded to them.
Source(s): The materials may be original to the teacher or may be from an existing education
curricula source. If existing education curricula or activities are submitted, the source of the
materials must be documented.
Length: The total length of the sample teaching materials may not exceed 5 pages. A brief description
of how the materials are used must be included. Teachers may include up to 5 pages of
photos, which must be clearly labeled. Photos are optional. Web links to supporting materials,
such as photos (5 pages or fewer) and sound and/or video recordings (10 minutes or fewer or
total playing time) may also be provided but must be accompanied by a brief description of the
project. Reviewers will not attempt to find online content for invalid hyperlinks, so please make
sure they are active.
Sample Material Titles:
Please briefly list the titles of the materials that are included with this application in the space provided:

Sample Material Use and Student Response:
Please briefly indicate how these materials were used and how the students responded to them, within
the space provided:

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Application Section 4: Letters of Support
Each application must include a total of three signed letters of support. Letters must come from:
• An administrator from the teacher’s school
• A fellow teacher
• A past or current student
Letters of support should not exceed one page and must include the following:
• Relationship to the teacher;
• Familiarity with the teacher and the work for which the teacher is being considered; and,
• Perspective on why the teacher’s work is unique and innovative in the field of
environmental education, and how the teacher might inspire others to use environmental
education.
The letters must be submitted as attachments to the application. In the boxes below, identify the
individuals who provided letters of support for this teacher.
Letter 1: Administrator
Name

Title

Organization/School

Email Address

Letter 2: Fellow Teacher
Name

Title

School

Email Address

Letter 3: Past or Current Student
Name

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Address or Email

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Application Section 5: Final Checklist
Before submitting, be sure your application package includes:
Completed application, with essay responses.
Copy of teacher’s teaching license, state teacher certificate, or copy of online record (an
active web link). Do not send original certificates.
Sample teaching materials.
Three letters of support.
Signature
Completed signed and dated EPA Multi-media consent release form

Teacher Signature (print name)

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Date

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