School Programs and Partnerships
Erin Conger/YMCA
The Golden Gate National Parks are extraordinary classrooms for connecting students with our history, culture, and natural environment. In partnership with the National Park Service and other community organizations, the Parks Conservancy offers a variety of resources and programs designed for educators looking for creative ways to expand their curriculums.
Current Offerings
The Migratory Story program is now run by our NPS partners.
Click for more information: https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/education/habitat-detectives.htm
Project WISE, Watersheds Inspiring Student Education, is a program in which students experience real world science in the Park. Work with park educators to identify the most relevant environmental science topics for your class to custom a program that works for your students. During the program, youth are able to see their role within and impact on the planet and identify ways in which they can take action to be more socially and scientifically conscious members of their community.
Project WISE primarily engages students from Environmental Science classes at Galileo Academy of Science and Technology and Mission High School, both public high schools in San Francisco. In this year-long, place-based, student-centered program, participants not only learn environmental science concepts, but also get a chance to utilize scientific practice to better understand their parks and communities.
Much of the learning during Project WISE is done outside, as classroom concepts are applied to sites in the national park and San Francisco communities. Water quality lessons are reinforced by an intensive study of Lobos Creek in the Presidio. The Crissy Field Marsh is used as a case study of wetlands. Air quality is investigated by comparing pollution levels in different communities across San Francisco. During the spring semester, Project WISE students conduct their own scientific explorations and present their findings at an annual symposium to peers, park officials, school district administrators, and members of the community.
Plan A Field Trip with our partners at the National Park Service.
Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) offers regular ranger-led field trips for local Bay area students. Self-guided visits are also available for select education programs.
Advance reservations are required for all groups planning a ranger-led education program at GGNRA. All ranger led education programs are free.
Click for more information: https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/education/index.htm
