From ‘Ceremonies’ to Routines: The Challenge of Embedding Climate Action in New York K-12 Public Schools

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 11:45 am - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Schools as Organizations Managing Change

Abstract

Implementing Climate Change Education (CCE) initiatives faces a persistent policy-practice gap. This mixed-methods study analyzes this gap through New York City’s Climate Action Days (CADs), using a dual theoretical lens—Institutional Theory and Theory of Routine—based on survey data from 1,350 Sustainability Coordinators and focus groups with 23 K-12 educators. Findings reveal that while the initiative prompted widespread participation, it was 'filtered' by school routines, resulting in a 'ceremonial repertoire' of simple activities. A third of coordinators (33%) viewed these as extracurricular or one-off events, rather than integrated practices. While the CADs initiated a valuable conversation, the study concludes that successful CCE implementation depends on aligning top-down policy with the on-the-ground logic of school routines.

Authors

• Merav Hayak, Columbia University; Achva Academic College;Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

• Dafna Gan, The Open University of Israel

• Oren Pizmony-Levy, Teachers College, Columbia University