In 2014, NAAEE and the Kettering Foundation renewed their partnership to develop the Environmental Issues Forums (EIF). One of the goals of the partnership is to increase deliberative public dialogue on climate change and other environmental issues. EIF is modeled on the National Issues Forums (NIF)—a nonpartisan, nationwide network of locally sponsored public issues forums. NIF is rooted in the simple notion that democracy requires an ongoing deliberative public dialogue. People need to come together to reason and talk — to deliberate about common problems. Understand together. Decide together. Act together.

Through the partnership with the Kettering Foundation, EIF has involved educators from across the nation in the development and testing of issue guides and other materials. This publication documents, through a series of case studies, the journeys taken by these educators. They report on the process of developing locally relevant EIF materials, reflect on their experiences holding forums for a variety of audiences, and report assessment results.

To learn more about EIF and to download forum related materials, please visit naaee.org/eif.