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Letter from the Executive Director
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tab le of contents
About REAL School Gardens
REAL Impacts
Statement of Activities and Financial Position
Program Services
Awards and Recognition
Organization Partners
Organization Supporters
Looking Ahead
REA L S c hool Ga rdens Staff Executive Director Program Assistant Director of Finance and Operations Grants and Partnerships Coordinator Program Director Director of Community Relations Director of Partnerships and Programming Garden Designer Educator Educator
Jeanne McCarty Heather Branham Jeff Cross Sarah Darley Scott Feille Jennifer Fitzgerald Matt Hackler Nancy Payne Ellen Robinson Eric Vanderbeck
REA L S cho ol Ga rdens Boa rd M emb ers
Suzanne Rall Peacock* Associate Director, Rainwater Charitable Foundation Kelly Garrett, Chairman Former California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin Executive Director, REAL School Gardens Jeanne McCarty Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Robert Menzi Principal, The Communications Collaborative, LLC Frederick Thompson Executive Director, Rainwater Charitable Foundation
* DECEASED, OCTOBER 2009
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Letter from the Executive Director
REAL School Gardens
09 - 20 ____ 10 20 ____
reaping more than we sow
To the Friends and Supporters of REAL School Gardens, When you visit a REAL school garden, you may be surprised to see that children are doing much more than just playing with friends or digging in the dirt. Unstructured childhood play is important in its own right, but in a REAL school garden, a learning garden, students take an active role in their education, perhaps even more so than in an indoor classroom. Through real-world, hands-on lessons, they learn science, math, social studies, language arts – all of the core curriculum components for which their teachers are held accountable. Additionally, they gain life skills like leadership, teamwork and problem-solving. The extra credit: in learning gardens, children discover what it means to lead a healthy life. As Thomas Fuller wrote, “Many things grow in the garden that were never sown there.” In our network of 66 learning gardens, we grow young scientists who record weather conditions and observe climate patterns. We grow healthy kids who eat fresh vegetables – many for the first time – and get excited, because they had a hand in growing them. We grow strong leaders who work together toward common goals and make meaningful discoveries along the way. We grow environmental stewards who care for their environment by nurturing native plant species and harvesting rain water. When we take education outdoors, we grow happier, healthier and smarter children. During the 2009-2010 school year, our partner schools recorded 20,000 children benefitting from the learning opportunities in a REAL school garden, a 40 percent increase from the figures reported the previous year. I am immensely pleased with this growth and excited to share it with you in the pages that follow. I invite you to read on and make your own discoveries about the power of learning gardens. I also invite you to get involved with our programs. Come visit one of our school gardens to see young learners in action, and you just may learn something new yourself! Learning and growing are what it takes for us to change the world – one child,
one community, one school garden at a time. Sincerely,
Jeanne McCarty Executive Director
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Ab out RE AL School Garden s
c o ur se o bj ect ives | On a mission to plant and grow
REAL School Gardens
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REAL School Gardens partners with high-poverty elementary schools to create learning gardens that become an integral part of the schools’ teaching culture and community. We support the design and installation of school gardens, train teachers to use the gardens to improve children’s learning and build community around the gardens to nurture support for urban schools. Academic achievement at these schools increases, as teachers take learning outdoors and children become more engaged learners, more effective team members and healthier people.
a sh o r t g eo grap hy lesso n | The urban elementary school population we serve To be considered for partnership with REAL School Gardens, elementary schools must serve a high number of low-income students, as indicated by a student population of 70% or above eligible for the Federal Meals Program. Through a competitive application process, we select elementary school partners that exhibit key factors for success, including strong leadership with a commitment to integrating the garden into the curriculum and promoting parental and community involvement. With our headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, our programs target North Texas school districts, including Fort Worth, Dallas, Grand Prairie, Arlington and Birdville. Our expertise extends far beyond our partner school districts, however. This year, our staff presented at the Keep Texas Beautiful Annual Conference and contributed expertise to the national Place-Based Education Evaluation Collaborative (PEEC). Executive Director Jeanne McCarty submitted testimony before the District of Columbia City Council in favor of school gardens and was invited to join the Texas Partnership for Children in Nature’s state leadership committee. As our school gardens serve nearly 36,000 children each year, we look toward a future in which every child benefits from learning outdoors.
photo credit
:
Matthew Rainwater
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REAL Impacts
r e a l i m pact s
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REAL School Gardens
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| REAL School Gardens makes REAL Impacts on children
Our vibrant learning gardens offer hands-on learning opportunities in all academic subjects and create the context for meaningful, cross-curricula applications. A growing body of national research points to the positive effects of school gardens on children’s physical, mental and emotional health and development. Learning gardens, which expose students to fresh food sources and encourage regular outdoor activity, have also been shown to improve nutrition and nurture healthy lifestyles. And when children witness the systems and cycles of nature first-hand in school gardens, they develop a connection with nature, which leads to concern for the environment and a sense of responsibility to protect it.
comments :
The research is great and the stories inspiring, but the simple
truth is : SCHOOL GARDENS WORK. – Scott Feille, Regional Program Director, REAL School Gardens
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REAL Impacts
REAL School Gardens
10
09 - 20 ____ 20 ____
boosting academic achievement School gardens are more than just pretty places; they are three-dimensional textbooks that reinforce and bring to life the lessons that children learn indoors. They offer powerful lessons and real-world applications, not only in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) curriculum, but in all academic subjects. When we began our programming in 2003 with high-poverty elementary schools in Fort Worth Independent School District, students’ standardized test scores at our partner schools were at the district average; today, those same schools are performing eight to 12 percentage points higher than the district average.
All kids have a point of entry and access when learning outdoors, because the barriers of testing, reading and computing are gone. In the garden, my highest and lowest students were successful and achieved at their own level. - Kristene Gillmer , third-grade teacher with a REAL school garden
comments :
e ng lish
On sunny days at Fitzgerald Elementary School, students sit and read under their garden’s shade
structure and then use the outdoors as inspiration for their own writing.
m ath
Students at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School measure their garden, plot the layout of equal-sized
flower beds and construct maps to scale.
his tor y
As part of a state history lesson, students at Alice Carlson Applied Learning Center observe the Texas
Sabal Palm growing in their garden and research its uses by early settlers.
art
During an educator training session led by REAL School Gardens’ staff, students grind rocks,
causing manual sedimentation, to create sand art.
garden is a [better] place to learn than in a book. A book only tells you how it looks, not how it feels. – Cesar, Student with a REAL school garden
comments :
The
photo credit
:
Matthew Rainwater
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REAL Impacts
nurturing healthy lifestyles
07
REAL School Gardens
09 - 20 ____ 20 ____ 10
With childhood obesity on the rise in the United States, many people – including First Lady Michelle Obama – recognize school gardens’ potential to promote healthy lifestyles. Studies have also shown that when children grow their own fruits and vegetables in a school garden, they’re more likely to eat fresh produce and adopt a more nutritious diet. During snack-time at Whitt Elementary School, kindergarteners head outside to explore their garden’s edible offerings. Many schools taste their nourishing garden produce. A few, like East Fort Worth Montessori Academy, have even served their garden produce in the school cafeteria. Additionally, academic research suggests that the use of outdoor natural spaces is particularly important to the health of young people from low-income backgrounds, like many of the students we serve. Accustomed to supermarkets, fast-food outlets and convenience stores, many of these students see where their food comes from for the first time in their school gardens.
comments : The
real world experiences the students gained in their gardens further
helped the Applied Learning Project they started with the School Wellness Action Team. They assembled their research and created informational tent cards that they placed on the cafeteria tables during lunch to inform and persuade the student body to eat the fruit and vegetables served at lunch and to make healthier food choices. – Ms. Landy, fourth-grade teacher with a REAL school garden
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REAL Impacts
promoting environmental stewardship
REAL School Gardens
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Outdoor classrooms contain an infinite number of nature-based, hands-on learning tools, rendering them a training ground for environmental stewards and global thinkers. For instance, many school gardens have rain barrels, which allow students to observe the process of rain water catchment and apply their learning to explorations of their local watershed, as well as global water supply issues. Many students witness and experience the lessons of nature for the first time in our learning gardens.
I love helping the plants, because they help the earth, - Maeghan Ferris, third-grade student with a REAL school garden.
comments :
A variety of community groups lend their efforts to our mission of putting school gardens at the heart of urban neighborhoods. Our partner schools benefit from the contribution of time and expertise by Master Gardeners, Master Composters and Master Naturalists. Many of our partner schools in Arlington and Grand Prairie partner with volunteers from the Arlington Men’s Gardening Club to bring lessons of garden sustainability to students. One long-standing partnership with Tarrant County Juvenile Services has created garden volunteer opportunities for youth in community-service programs. Often these youth gain valuable skills and experiences that keep them interested in nature for years to come.
When [our son] runs across any type of bug that he can ‘save,’ he picks it up and takes it to the garden area at home to make sure it can continue its work without being hurt by humans. – Chris and Lisa Hamilton, parents of a student with a REAL school garden
comments :
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REAL Impacts
REAL School Gardens
cultivating pro-social skills and behavior
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In a school garden, more than plants thrive; children grow happier, healthier and smarter. Outdoor classrooms nurture imagination, promote critical thinking and build character to grow strong future leaders. For teachers, school gardens can serve as an alternative behavioral management tool. For instance, the counselor at Rosemont Sixth Grade School takes students for garden walks to unwind when they are upset, and other schools use the space for group therapy.
comments :
Sometimes the students who cause the most trouble indoors are your
best friends outdoors, – Stacey Ansley, educator with a REAL school garden REAL School Gardens serves large populations of immigrants – many of whom are classified as at-risk due to language barriers – as well as Latino-, Asian- and African-American students. Our vibrant, dynamic, multicultural school gardens engage parents, families and community members, providing a space where children can share their cultural heritage, feel a sense of belonging and form connections to the local community.
res p o nsi bi li ty
“What having a garden means to me is that my class and I have to take care of it.”
– Rasul, student with a REAL school garden
te a m wor k
“Every time I walk past my [school] garden, I
remember it was because of all of us working
together to make it.” – Jestine, student with a
REAL school garden
p ers ever ance
“It was hard to take the weeds out but fun to
be outside and help.” – Montserrat, student
with a REAL school garden
examples :
Parents, children and
teachers work side-by-side at Veda Knox Elementary Family Planting Day
of Activities and Financial Position
( a ctu a l)
educators
s tate m en t of acti vi ty
tota l scho o l pa r tn er s
a r i th m et ic | Our reach in numbers
REAL School Gardens
10
20 09 ____ - 20 ____
( a ctu a l)
s ub j e c t : Statement
10
studen ts r ea ched
page
2003 — 2004
12
369
6,925
2004 — 2005
22
689
13,023
2005 — 2006
30
1,000
17,863
2006 — 2007
36
1,229
21,251
2007 — 2008*
36
1,237
21,164
2008 — 2009
47
1,645
27,065
2009 — 2010†
66
2,200
35,955
comments : As
you can see, our numbers are going nowhere but up. This year, we provided
educational opportunities grounded in nature for close to 36,000 elementary students. f i n a n c i al p o sit io n | For the Fiscal Year ended June 30, 2010 REAL School Gardens’ revenue for the year was $1.135 million, with almost 96% representing contributions from foundations, corporations and individuals. Our expenses totaled $1.31 million. Of the over $1 million invested in our program services, $410,717 was directed to our school garden installation and support activities; $351,509 to educator training and resources; and $248,630 to community engagement activities at our program schools and beyond. $172,000 of these expenses satisfied the restrictions of donations from the prior fiscal year designated for expansion into Dallas, Texas; and for program activities funded by a grant from the Motorola Foundation. Remaining temporarily restricted contributions are designated for a demonstration garden at our headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. This year we continued to seek diversification in funding sources and grow relationships with foundations, corporations and individuals who share our desire to inspire children and strengthen education. Staff responsible for fundraising and partnership development were hired in Spring 2010. * From April 2003 - November 2007, the Botanical Research Institute of Texas served as REAL School Gardens’ fiscal sponsor. In November 2007 REAL School Gardens was incorporated as a 501(c)3 organization. † Numbers are estimated because actual numbers are not yet reported.
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Statement of Activities and Financial Position
REAL School Gardens
09 - 20 ____ 10 20 ____
annual cash flow statement reve nu e and other s u ppor t
u nres t ric t ed
temporarily
total
res t ric t ed
20 10
Contributions
$ 1,086,934
$
Interest income
1,000
$
2,908 —
1,087,934 2,908
Rental income
44,084
—
44,084
Miscellaneous income
521
—
521
—
Net assets released from restrictions : Satisfaction of program restrictions
TOTAL REVENUE and OTHER SUPPORT
$ 1,307,484
173,037
(173,037)
$
(172,037)
$ 1,135,447
e x pe ns e s Program services
$ 1,010,856
Management and general
—
$
164,141 —
1,010,856 164,141
Fundraising
136,315
—
136,315
1,311,312
—
1,311,312
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS
(3,828)
(172,037)
(175,865)
Net assets at beginning of year
488,651
180,361
669,012
$
493,147
TOTAL EXPENSES
$
NET ASSETS at END of YEAR
484,823
$
8,324
d is trib u ti on of expenses
100 % 77.1 %
Program services Management and general Fundraising
12.5 % 10.4 %
photo credit
:
Matthew Rainwater
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Program Services
REAL School Gardens
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20 09 ____ - 20 ____
sy l l a b us fo r success | How we serve students, teachers, schools and communities With long-term sustainability in mind, we work closely with our partner schools as they integrate their learning gardens into their schools’ culture and communities. Each of our partner schools receive garden support, professional developement for teachers and opportunities for networking and community building.
garden support Our program seeks input and participation from children, families, educators and neighbors, resulting in vibrant gardens containing essential features of learning, such as adequate seating options, shaded areas and natural and educational focal points. All of our gardens showcase environmentally sustainable practices, and many include native plant species, organic cultivation, rainwater catchment and composting systems. This year, we worked closely with our 66 partner schools, providing extensive professional development to teachers. We also established six brand-new school gardens, enhanced 10 existing gardens and added “Essential Features” of learning to two existing gardens.
examples :
This is South Hills Elementary School BEFORE and AFTER
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Program Services
professional development for educators
REAL School Gardens
09 - 20 ____ 10 20 ____
We provide professional development and networking opportunities that instruct and inspire educators to integrate school gardens into their core curriculum. Ongoing assessment and development of our teacher training model has led to innovative, high-quality professional development opportunities – including expert presentations, model-teaching garden integration visits and idea-sharing sessions. Our training sessions make direct connections between outdoor learning and formal state educational standards, which guide educators’ daily classroom objectives. School districts endorse our innovative professional development approach for their teachers, and with no pay incentive, hundreds of educators take advantage of these opportunities. This year, our staff educators provided garden integration and model teaching instruction to 775 elementary school educators – ultimately impacting 9,792 students. We also organized two professional development events this year, with 83 North Texas educators attending the first and a record 190 participants at the second. With support from the Motorola Foundation, we implemented a series of trainings entitled “Question the System: Alternative Energy in the Outdoor Classroom” to help educators incorporate inquiry-based STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) curriculum into their school garden lessons. As a result of this training, one teacher, Kyle Damon from Grand Prairie’s Daniels Elementary Academy, returned to his school so inspired that he planned a two-week “Summer Wind Academy,” to teach incoming third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students about wind and solar energy. During the Wind Academy, students engaged in a variety of hands-on, cross-curricula lessons. They experimented with wind turbine blades, invented unique wind-powered products, worked collaboratively to research green energy options and competed with one another to come up with the most efficient turbine blade design. Then, they applied their learning during computer-facilitated interviews with a wind turbine engineer based in Germany and an employee from Green Mountain Energy Company. To the surprise of the experts, the students – instead of asking simple questions like what makes the wind blow – made astute inquiries, regarding such technical aspects as proper turbine blade pitch for West Texas wind farms. As a result of all of these efforts, 20,000 students were recorded as using our school gardens for learning this year.
comments :
Our Summer Wind Academy was a tremendous success
due, in large part, to the inspiration and contributions of REAL School Gardens - Kyle, teacher with a REAL school garden
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Program Services
networking and community-building
15
REAL School Gardens
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REAL School Gardens fosters a cooperative spirit among diverse community partners, which helps sustain school gardens in the long term. Our community-building efforts sparked a gathering of more than 300 people at one school and led to a partnership with a nearby high school at another. Another school had such a diverse event turnout that communication occurred in three languages – English, Spanish and Arabic. Parents were vital players in our new garden installations, contributing a variety of skills, from planning to stone masonry to carpentry. Community members – often representing local businesses, neighborhood associations, service-learning groups or churches – volunteered their time and resources as well. Partnerships and local buy-in are essential to placing a school garden at the heart of an urban neighborhood. Through strong relationships and community-building events, we connect our school partners to resources and promote the sharing of best practices. We also encourage schools to forge community partnerships that will help them utilize, improve and sustain their gardens. Over the course of the year, a total of 3,294 individuals participated in REAL School Gardens events – a 47 percent increase from last year.
comments :
I continue to appreciate the quality and scope of the experiences
[REAL School Gardens] provides for the educational community. [These] efforts and passion are certainly valued by all of us ... – Jane Lovedahl, Director of Curriculum Development, Camp Fire USA First Texas Council
photo credit
:
Matthew Rainwater
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s ub j e c t : Awards
and Recognition
17
REAL School Gardens
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m a k i n g t he g rade
At REAL School Gardens, the true reward for our work is the knowledge that we are helping to grow healthier, happier and smarter children. This year, we have also been honored with a number of awards and accolades:
FI R ST - PL A CE
ul’s Keep Texas Beautif ard for Sadie Ray Graff Aw EXCELLENCE IN UCATION ENVIRONMENTAL ED
M AY OR ’S PR OC LA M AT IO N
for environmental partn ership with Dallas ISD, presented by the City of Dallas
PA RT NE RS HIP AW AR D
from Tarrant County Juvenile Services
P A R T N E R S H IP AWARD
E N V IR O N M ENTAL EXCELLEN CE AWARD presented by Green and Clean Campus P rogram (a jo in t program of the Cit y of Gran d Prairie and Grand Prairie ISD )
rs from Harry C. Withe Elementary School
OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM AWARD, presented by Texas Association for Environmental Education
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Organization Partners
REAL School Gardens
09 - 20 ____ 10 20 ____
c o l l a bo rato rs | Contributions of time and talent partners
acorns advisory board
Botanical Research Institute of Texas
joyce brown Director, East Fort Worth Montessori Academy
Boy Scout Troop 540, Grand Prairie City of Grand Prairie & Keep Grand Prairie Beautiful Chesapeake Energy Corporation Employee Volunteers Dallas Environmental Education Center Dallas County Master Gardeners
nancy burleson Teacher, Watauga Elementary School glenna cleworth Teacher, Western Hills Primary School alice espinoza Case Manager, Gill Children’s Services
Tarrant County Master Gardeners Dallas County Agrilife Extension
scott feille Program Director, REAL School Gardens
Dallas Independent School District Forest Hills Neighborhood Association Fort Worth Independent School District Grand Prairie Independent School District Parish Episcopal School Alex Sanger Elementary School Early Childhood PTA
jolee healey Principal, Victor H. Hexter Elementary School tracy hollis Program Director, Natural Science Education Center, Grand Prairie ISD ruth kinler Owner, Redenta’s Garden
Tarrant County Juvenile Services I.M. Terrell Alumni Association Texas Christian University, including the students of Dr. David Aftandilian, Dr. Keith Whitworth, TCU LEAPS and TCU Alternate Spring Break University of Texas at Arlington including the School of Architecture, the students of Dr. Brad Bell and Big Event Motorola Corporation Employee Volunteers Volunteer Center of North Texas
suzanne rall peacock* Executive Director, Rainwater Charitable Foundation michelle schneider Education Operations Manager, Botanical Research Institute of Texas ronald schultze Principal, J. T. Stevens Elementary School mike warren Tarrant County Juvenile Services
with special thanks C.E. Cotton Decks and Arbors
Living Earth Technology
Tech Soup
Tammy Chan
Microsoft
Thai Tina’s
Laverne Gunderson Volunteer of the Year
Redenta’s Garden
Tiny Seeds
Rid All Pest Control
Manuel Villegas
Tracy Hollis
Tastebuds Eatery
Water Gardens Galore * DECEASED, OCTOBER 2009
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Organization Supporters
REAL School Gardens
c o n tr i b uto rs | Gifts in Support of REAL School Gardens
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donors (incl. corp, fdn, and individual) The MCJ Amelior Foundation* Annie’s Homegrown Anonymous Ninnie L. Baird Foundation Harry and Karen Barr* Booker Industries Melodie Bourassa Bourland, Wall & Wenzel* Boys and Girls Club of Greater Fort Worth* Canyon Ranch* Laura Carstensen* Judy Cates* Center for Courage and Renewal* Ted and Jane Chapman* Randy and D’Ann Chappel* Chesapeake Energy Corporation Jim and Glenna Cleworth* Colonial Country Club Charities Gunhild Corbett* Crestview Advisors* Jeff Cross* Sarah Darley Suzanne and Charles Davis* Donna Dunaway Delaine Eastin Ralph and Brenda Faxel* Jennifer Fitzgerald and Wesley Wright* Kelly Garrett Andrea C. Hewitt Gibson and Derek Gibson Cara Cobos Guziak* Matt Hackler* Melodee and Joe Halbach* Pat and Tom Harrison* Martha Hayes* Jason Hewitt and Jeanne McCarty* Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation Margaret R. Jolley* Edna B. Kalson*
Susan and David Kalson* Keep Texas Beautiful Carole Kennedy* Harlan and Amy Korenvaes* Blair and Bill McGroarty* Tim McKinney* The Medtronic Foundation Robert A. Moor* Michael Moore* Dena Peterson* The Rainwater Charitable Foundation The Redman Foundation Ellen Robinson David J. Roy* Richard and Mary Ruocchio* Thomas M., Helen McKee and John P. Ryan Foundation Michelle Schneider Jeff and Lee Simus* Don Smith* Jeremy Smith South Hills Christian Church, Inquirers Sunday School Class Melba Spears Janis E. Swenson* Jim and Martha Thomas* Frederick Thompson Mark and Lisa Trammell* Travel Service Everywhere* Triangle Community Foundation, The Greenwald Family Charitable Fund* Suzanne M. Tuttle* Tisha and Sunny Vanderbeck* Gloria and Edward Vaughn, Jr.* Barry and Teri Volpert Foundation* Alison B. Wexler* Whole Foods Market Deborah Willingham * GIFT IN MEMORY OF SUZANNE RALL PEACOCK
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Donor and Contributors
REAL School Gardens
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gifts in kind Alpine Materials
Harvest Supply Company
Rahr and Sons Brewing Co.
Blue Mesa Grill
Pat Hayton
Matthew Rainwater
Calloway’s
Juel Hood
The Rainwater Charitable Foundation
City of Grand Prairie
Impact Remodeling
Leon Russell
City of Grand Prairie,
Mark Ingraham
Salesforce.com
Department of Parks & Recreation
International Exhibitions, Inc.
Dallas Independent School District,
Kelly Kemp
Maintenance Department
Kevin Lindsay
Dallas Councilman Sheffiled Kadane
Lowe’s
Dallas Mavericks
Patti McKindley, Busy B’s Bakery,
Fort Worth Independent School District,
Fort Worth
Maintenance Department
Metroplex Garden Design Landscaping
Sutherlands Lumber
Grand Prairie Independent School
Mint Ink Design & Branding
Texas Christian University
District, Maintenance Department
Katrina and Mark Moran
TXI Concrete
Grand Prairie Independent School
Scott Nady
Leigh Wells
District, Nature Center
Philip Combs Designs
Whole Foods Market, Lakewood
Green Mamas Nursery
Plant Shed
Sharon Schoech Jason Sellars Sid Parker Stone Silver Creek Materials Sunbelt Rentals
w el c o m e new part ner school s birdville isd
fort worth isd
The Academy of Carrie F. Thomas
Lowery Road Elementary School
Elementary School
T.A. Sims Elementary School
Thurgood Marshall Elementary School
dallas isd
I.M. Terrell Elementary School
Sallye Moore Elementary School
Victor H. Hexter Elementary School
Lyndon Baines Johnson Elementary School
Colin Powell Elementary School
grand prairie isd
Sam Rayburn Elementary School
Alex Sanger Elementary School
James Bowie Elementary School
Ervin C. Whitt Elementary School
Harry C. Withers Elementary School
David Crockett Elementary School
Hobbs Williams Elementary School
Robert E. Lee Elementary School
l o o k i n g ahead | Our Path Forward With a firm foundation in North Texas and plans for national expansion, we have cemented REAL School Gardens’ place as a leader in the school garden movement. Through our work with PEER Associates, we will continue to evaluate our impact and soon be able to contribute evidence-based data demonstrating that outdoor learning is a key to academic success. We also will continue to build a broad base of funding support, to serve us on the road to growth and sustainability. We invite you to join us in this journey.
cover photo credit
:
Matthew Rainwater
h el p u s g r o w .
503 bryan avenue fort worth, texas 76104 phone
: 817.348.8102
fax
: 817.348.8680
REALschoolgardens.org
R E A L : Rainwater Environmental Alliance for Learning