The Austin Independent School District (Austin ISD) is a diverse, growing, public school district that serves approximately 80,000 students at 130 schools. The District has a long-standing relationship with their local parks and recreation department and had robust outdoor programs in place prior to the pandemic. These existing relationships and programs have been instrumental in helping Austin ISD increase outdoor learning opportunities during the pandemic.  

Since October 2020, Austin ISD has offered students the option to return to their school campuses for in-person instruction or to engage in full-time remote learning. The use of outdoor classrooms now varies from school to school, with some schools using existing green schoolyards and parks, and others simply moving their desks under pop-up tents in their courtyards or other areas of their grounds.

Over 500 teachers attended Austin ISD’s district-wide professional development sessions about outdoor learning in the 2020-21 school year, and there is a high level of interest. However, the District has not yet quantified the city-wide use of outdoor spaces during the pandemic.

Outdoor Learning at Austin Independent School District

The case study below, published in March 2021, shares Austin ISD’s COVID-related outdoor learning program, and sets it within the context of their long-term work to collaborate with their local park system and other partners.

On March 2, 2021, Austin ISD’s Outdoor Learning Specialist, Anne Muller, also shared the school district’s work in a slide presentation for our Community of Practice for School Districts Moving Learning Outside and shared her presentation slides which also include clickable links and additional images of Austin ISD’s green schoolyards.

Recorded presentation given by Anne Muller on March 2, 2021, about Austin ISD’s outdoor learning program. Click here for the slide deck.

EXISTING CONDITIONS IN AUSTIN
That SUPPORT OUTDOOR LEARNING

The City of Austin and the school district have a working relationship that has facilitated the movement towards outdoor learning in the city for more than a decade. Many of the examples that follow flow from this pre-pandemic relationship. To make clear to the public their commitment to connecting children to nature, the City of Austin and Austin ISD have signed the Austin Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights stating that every child in the City of Austin has the right to learn, play, and grow in nature.

Austin ISD has an Environmental Stewardship Advisory Committee which provides recommendations to the Superintendent and school board. This committee wrote a sustainability plan for the district, focusing on the pillars of sustainability which include robust goals and strategies aimed at connecting students and nature.

District Education Data

• 130 schools

• 80,100 students, early childhood - 12th grade

• 5,541 teachers

• Approximately 2,000 acres of school grounds

• 125 schools have a vegetable and/or habitat garden

• 67% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch

• District website

Location

• Austin, Texas

• Urban area in central Texas 

Climate

• Humid subtropical climate

• Spring and fall weather: daytime temperatures 40°F - 75°F

• Very hot summers: daytime temperatures reach 90°F an average of 116 days per year

• Precipitation: Averages 34.3 inches annually, distributed relatively evenly throughout the year

COMMUNITY NETWORKING AND COLLABORATION

Community-wide collaboration aimed at connecting children to nature is key to success in Austin. The Children in Nature Collaborative of Austin is a regional initiative, supported by a statewide network called Texas Children in Nature. These networks provide robust networking opportunities and support to teachers and the school district. For example, Austin is one of three cities in Texas involved in the Cities Connecting Children to Nature Initiative. This initiative created by the National League of Cities and Children & Nature Network aims to increase more equitable and abundant access to nature within cities. One full time staff member works within the Parks and Recreation Department to bring focus and capacity to the effort. Key strategies include: nature play, youth leadership, nature smart libraries, green school parks, and Outdoor Learning Environments for childcare centers.  The video at right (above) explains how the initiative worked with Austin Parks Foundation to support the creation of outdoor classrooms at six schools, through small ($2,000) grants. 

The video at right (below) provides an overview of the Woolridge Elementary Green School Park. This large scale park was created as a result of the strategic planning done through the Cities Connecting Children to Nature Initiative, and includes elements that collect and utilize rainwater, improve and create access to riparian zones, and engage children at every level of their development

The video above from Austin FOX7 News includes highlights from an Austin Parks Foundation grant program that will provide six schools with outdoor classrooms.

The video above provides an overview of Woolridge Elementary Green School Park.

In addition to the Woolridge Green School Park featured above, Austin ISD has 33 other schools that are adjacent to City of Austin park properties, and 22 other joint use sites with shared ownership between the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department and Austin ISD. A thorough assessment was completed of the green schoolyard features as well as an interview with the campus administrators to determine how the community is using the park space during and outside of school time. 

Partners identified adjacent parks and joint use sites that already have amenities that lend themselves well to outdoor learning. In the best case scenario, outdoor classrooms already exist, however many other options are available, and include covered amphitheaters or stages, covered basketball courts, and covered pavilions. In Austin, all basketball courts on school campuses are covered by shade structures,  and similar amenities at parks are also covered, since temperatures remain in the 90s through October and shade is critical. 

The map of Austin, Texas, above, is designed to help schools find nearby parks they can use for outdoor learning. The map includes detailed information about the types of outdoor infrastructure currently present in each park, and shows which parks are near each school.

AUSTIN Independent School District’s OPERATIONS AND Outdoor INFRASTRUCTURE

Over the last decade, the Austin ISD Board of Trustees has grown increasingly committed to living school grounds. They adopted a sustainability resolution in 2010, solidifying Austin ISD’s commitment to sustainability with a focus on infrastructure and operations, teaching and learning, and the community. Large scale tree planting partnerships through the City of Austin’s Urban Forestry Department, Austin ISD, and TreeFolks (a local nonprofit), also set the stage for needed supplies. Trees that are removed from Austin ISD properties are now being turned into stumps (where viable) and delivered to campuses that need more outdoor classroom infrastructure. 

Austin ISD’s Educational Specifications and Project Development Manual for construction, which includes new builds, modernization, and other projects, is a key document that has helped the District green its grounds and now requires the district to address outdoor learning. In 2014, the school district adopted a schoolyard improvement process to increase communication between school campuses and the district, and to help coordinate with the Parks and Recreation Department for their joint use sites. A committee is now in charge of reviewing all project ideas that are submitted, greatly increasing the level of communication and collaboration between the departments involved in the effort. The committee consists of staff members from the grounds and sustainability departments, the outdoor learning specialist, and construction management staff.

The video above features the Discovery Hill Outdoor Learning Center and explains how it was founded. Created in collaboration with the National Wildlife Federation, this demonstration habitat garden serves as a nature-rich resource for the entire community, district-wide.

Like many districts, Austin ISD is aligning its reopening guidance with the City’s Public Health Department priorities during the pandemic. In this case, those priorities specifically recommend that schools use outdoor spaces for in-person learning wherever possible.

Austin Public Health Department’s guidance
Excerpts that encourage outdoor learning during the pandemic:

Page 13. “Schools are encouraged to use outdoor space more often, weather-permitting, to enable social distancing. Consider having teachers hold some classes outdoors. Use or create “outdoor classroom” areas, especially in shady or covered outdoor spaces.”

Page 13. “Encourage the use of outdoor seating areas and social distancing for any small-group activities such as lunches, breaks, and meetings.”

Page 15. “Except as otherwise provided in this document, all persons age 10 and over must wear a face covering on buses or other school transportation vehicles, inside school buildings, and anywhere on school grounds, including outside. In the school setting, this generally applies to students in 5th grade and above. However, face coverings are recommended for children two years of age and older; in the school setting, this generally applies to students in Pre-K and above.”

Page 16. “Consider building in ‘mask breaks’ throughout the day when outside, as long as students are physically distanced 6 feet apart.”

Page 19. “Outdoor areas, like school playgrounds, generally require routine cleaning, but not disinfection. High-touch plastic and metal surfaces such as grab bars and railings should be cleaned routinely. Cleaning and disinfection of wooden surfaces is not recommended.”

Page 25. “Schools may allow meals to be served in classrooms or outdoors, instead of in a communal dining hall or cafeteria, when physical distancing cannot be maintained in the cafeteria or dining hall.”

Page 25. “Whenever possible, conduct physical education classes and recess outdoors.

Page 26. (Band, Choir, Music Class) “If it’s safe and weather permits, consider moving class outdoors where air circulation is better than indoors and maintain at least 6 feet distance between students.”

There are many examples of how Austin ISD has provided teachers with support to make outdoor learning a reality. The school district created a checklist (right) of standard operating procedures supporting outdoor learning. It was provided to principals and school leaders in July 2020.

Austin ISD issued their reopening plan which encourages outdoor learning on campus. While field trips that require transportation are not allowed, walking field trips to adjacent nature spaces with masks and physical distancing are allowed.

The use of outdoor learning environments within Austin ISD is specifically encouraged to support physical distancing recommendations, reduce COVID-19 transmission, enhance academic outcomes, provide hands-on learning opportunities, and improve mental health and stress management. For every age group from PK to high school, health authority guidance recommends that schools use outdoor spaces when possible as a high priority strategy for returning students to schools with physical distancing measures in place.

Austin ISD has full time staff supporting outdoor learning including the Outdoor Learning Specialist in the Academics (STEM) department and the Sustainability Manager in the Operations department. Partnerships with community organizations provide professional learning opportunities for teachers about virtual outdoor learning and taking learning outside when students have returned to campus. They also provide professional development for specific types of curricula from Project Learning Tree, Growing UP WILD, and other organizations, and offer evening and weekend options. For their efforts, Austin ISD has been recognized with four Green Flag, 15 Silver, and 39 Bronze level EcoSchools awards through EcoSchools USA and the National Wildlife Federation.

School gardens across the district have suffered since Austin ISD’s 130 schools have been largely closed this year. To get them ready for students and teachers, non-profit partners, who have also been experiencing financial hardships during this challenging time, were paid to help prepare the gardens for use.

This video provides a tour of the school’s stormwater features and shares the project’s “ribbon cutting” ceremony during the pandemic.

Even in a pandemic, Austin Independent School District is still pursuing its long-term vision to make its school grounds more ecologically resilient. Over the last four years, Austin ISD collaborated with the City of Austin to design and plan rain-catchment features at Reilly Elementary School and Green School Park. In 2020, a total of five rain gardens and 12 cisterns were installed. They now capture thousands of gallons of rain each year from the school’s roofs and parking lots. This project to catch and slowly release stormwater will reduce erosion and flooding problems on the property and will also improve the water quality and flow in the nearby creek. The rainwater in the cisterns will also be used to water the adjacent gardens and landscape. This project won first place in the Green Infrastructure Award from the National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies, announced in January 2021.

Additional Media Coverage

“McCallum High School teachers moving classes outside hoping to ease minds during pandemic” (video, right)
— KXAN Austin, January 28, 2021

“Austin Jewish Academy moves Classrooms Outdoors”
— Austin American-Statesman, December 28, 2020