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Nature as Teacher: Project Better Acquisition of Cognitive Skills Through Outdoor Programming (BACSTOP) and Antiracism in Outdoor Education
Sat, April 9, 10:35am to 12:05pm, Convention Center, Floor: Level One, Room 102 AAbstract
This paper explores the link between outdoor education and its uses towards promoting racial tolerance through a historical analysis of Project Better Acquisition of Cognitive Skills through Outdoor Programming (BACSTOP) in Battle Creek, Michigan. Project BACSTOP, a federally funded program from the U.S. Department of Health, Education, & Welfare, was implemented at Northwestern Junior High School in 1972 to address both racial separatism and educational performance issues in the school. Through an analysis of the project’s federal reports and instructional material, I investigate the historical moment the project emerged from. I additionally situate the project in the broader history and evolution of outdoor education and its purposes.