Aquaponics Project Summary Background Aquaponics is the organic cultivation of fish and plants in a hydroponic system. It is a compact and balanced system which results in the production of both protein and plant sources of nutrition. This system lends itself to use in an academic setting due to its simplicity, its productivity, and its accessibility. We are currently collaborating with the NC A&T State University, Wake Forest University, and NC State University to write an academic curriculum based on an aquaponics system that can be run by students in an urban school setting. This learning format will effectively address several major issues confronting children in urban areas today, including: • Lack of access to fresh, healthy food; • Increases in obesity, diabetes, and hypertension which disproportionately affect low-income children of color; • Unsustainable production of food for urban areas; • An educational system that does not adequately encourage problem solving skills, higher order thinking skills, physical activity, and which fails to close the achievement gap between white students and students of color. Structure of the Project 1. Academic and Lifestyle Curriculum Children who have the opportunity to participate in this aquaponics curriculum will develop academic skills in a context that provides for development of higher-level thinking skills. The tangible results of their labor will affirm the importance and the relevance of the work they are doing, and give them not just academic skills, but hard skills in terms of project planning, food production, and nutrition knowledge that they will carry with them throughout their lives. Rarely are children empowered to be proactive and self-reliant. Participation in this process will give them the grounding necessary to make lifestyle changes like a change in diet and the understanding of the importance of local food production. This curriculum will detail day by day, not only the goals for learning, but also the actual lesson plans and activities the teacher should be using. Countless programs advocate for better health and diets for children, but few are actively involved in effecting lifestyle changes in children over the course of several years. This is a unique combination of learning which is relatively low-cost and can be replicated virtually anywhere. It holistically addresses health and education problems that children are facing everywhere and disproportionately in low-income, urban communities of color. Through the course of curriculum development, project participants will engage in activities and services including the development of a test model, drafting of the curriculum, and training on curriculum implementation.
2. Parental Involvement As our students’ first teachers, parents must be genuinely welcome in the discussions about education and diet. Parents begin and close the loop on what children learn at school and it is important that we provide the space and opportunity for their growth as it relates to continuing education for themselves, job training and their health and well being. A parent resource center is essential to the success of our goals. The Aquaponics Project addresses the needs of the whole student and recognizes the integral and primary role that parents play in student education and well-being.
Outcomes The long term outcomes of the Aquaponics Project include the following: • Curriculum Development Carter G. Woodson staff, parents, and members of the Education faculty at Wake Forest University will participate in the development of an integrated K-12 academic curriculum that is: o Based in food production; o Scripted and transferable and; o Useful for teachers in both traditional and alternative academic environments. • Academic and Nutritional Improvement Participation in the Aquaponics curriculum will result in students possessing: o Ability to perform at or above grade level on standard math and reading assessments; o Better overall health and physical fitness; o Better nutritional quality of diet in and out of school; o Increased knowledge of nutrition and health; o Increased higher order thinking skills, including critical thinking and problem solving skills; o Improved behavior, concentration, and willingness to participate in classroom activities; o Improved academic performance; and o Increased self-esteem and self-reliance, including appropriate behavior and self-control. o An understanding of need for sustainable agriculture by students • Community Impact The implementation of this curriculum will result in development of sustainable urban food sources for communities involved with the school. This will include an increase in the availability of affordable, organic or near-organic, locally grown food. Assessment The impact of this work will be assessed through formal and informal surveys, community reflection and input workshops, and state mandated achievement tests. Further, the success of this work will be demonstrated by the successful implementation of this model in both traditional and alternative academic environments. Todd A.F. Warren, M.A.Ed Director/ CGW Aquaponics Project