Step 5.2: Leverage Project for Learning and Other Impacts

Overview

Electric school buses can be a valuable tool for engaging with students and teachers, as well as the broader community. 

You could consider opportunities to develop Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) curricula that involve electric school buses for students at your school to make the most of the transition by giving students a hands-on learning experience. You could also look for opportunities to partner with workforce development programs or community colleges to help build a future pipeline of EV technicians.

Finally, you should communicate your results and experience with elected officials, local advocates, the press and with other school district peers who are looking to go electric. This can increase visibility of the benefits of electric vehicles and build support for future electric school bus deployments and for fleet electrification projects in neighboring districts and municipalities.

Things to do:

• Develop an accessible communications plan to engage your community
• Hold a ribbon-cutting for community leadership and partners, and invite the press to attend
• Hold an EV fleet day with other EV fleets in your area to share learnings
• Identify or develop curricula around electric school buses for students in your community
• Explore opportunities to integrate with local workforce development programs
• Share your experience with peer districts
• Engage students in these community events—for example, through environmental clubs or other relevant groups 

Ways to include equity:

• Consult with stakeholders to assess opportunities to leverage your electric school bus deployment for learning and community impact
• Use your electric school buses to educate students on climate change, electrification, environmental justice and disability rights/justice
• Collaborate with curriculum developers to create lesson plans for all grades and consider video or poster campaigns to help students learn about electric school buses in the classroom or on the bus

Questions to consider:

• Who should be invited to a ribbon-cutting? How can you engage the press and elected officials?
• How can electric school buses support educational programming within your school and the broader community?
• How can you ensure all students get access to curriculum opportunities?
• What resources can you use to take the burden off teachers when creating and implementing electric school bus-focused lesson plans?
• How can you create curricula that teach students about the importance of ethically sourced material and global connections concerning environmental justice, transportation justice and disability justice?
• Are there opportunities to partner around workforce development? Can you reach out to city government, regional economic development organizations or local community colleges to see how you might plug in?
• How might electric school buses support with regional just transition issues and efforts?
• What opportunities do you have to share your experiences? Is there a State Association of Pupil Transportation or Clean Cities and Communities Coalition event where you could present?
• Are there opportunities to allow other districts to experience your electric school bus firsthand?

Potential stakeholders:

• District leadership
• District communications staff
• District transportation director
• Elected officials and school board
• City staff that manage sustainability, climate and/or clean energy programs
• Community organizations, including environmental organizations, environmental justice organizations and organizations that serve the populations around bus depot locations
• Organizations with expertise in transportation electrification, such as Clean Cities and Communities Coalitions
• Students and organizations representing their voices
• Parents and organizations representing their voices
• Teachers and organizations representing their voices

Resources:

• School District Learnings – 12 Tips on Electric School Bus Adoption — WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative: This page includes stories from districts across the country, including how they are leveraging their projects for additional community benefits.
• School Buses in the Circular Economy — WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative and LEGO: We teamed up to create a free, hands-on lesson that introduces students to the concepts of circular economy and vehicle electrification, all through a very familiar example: the iconic yellow school bus.
• How North Carolina's Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is Planning for Seven Generations of Sustainability — WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative: This case study shares how the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ Air Quality Program taught a 5th grade class the benefits of their electric school bus. These fifth graders, in turn, presented the information to a class of pre-kindergarten students.
• Healthier Air for Students in Stockton, California — WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative: This case study shares how the school district’s student-led Energy Patrol aims to educate teachers and students on energy efficiency and cost saving actions in English and Spanish.
• Coffee Shop Plans and Progress — Knox County Bus Project: After purchasing their first electric school bus, this Missouri school district partnered with high school business and industrial tech students to give their old diesel bus new life as a coffee shop and café run by students.
• The New York Environmental Justice and Decarbonization Summer Institute – World Resources Institute and EJ Forward: WRI is working with a small cohort of teachers in New York to train them on transportation decarbonization and support them in developing lesson plans throughout the year.
• Civic Science and Environmental Justice for Grades 6-12 – Highland Electric and the Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation: This guide provides six customizable activities to teach students about addressing environmental challenges in their community through the lens of electric school buses.
• Subject to Climate –Subject to Climate: Compiles free climate resources for all K-12 subjects.
• The Learning Lab – US Green Building Council: Provides a number of student lesson plans, professional development, and teaching resources focused on decarbonization in school buildings.