U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Nominee Presentation Form

Begun in 2011-2012, U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) is a recognition award that honors schools, districts, and postsecondary institutions that are making great strides in three Pillars: 1) reducing environmental impact and costs, including waste, water, energy use, and transportation; 2) improving the health and wellness of students and staff, including environmental health of premises, nutrition, and fitness; and 3) providing effective sustainability education, including STEM, civic skills, and green career pathways. The award is a tool to encourage state education agencies, stakeholders and higher education officials to consider matters of facilities, health and environment comprehensively and in coordination with state health, environment and energy counterparts. In order to be selected for federal recognition, schools, districts and postsecondary institutions must be high achieving in all three of the above Pillars, not just one area. Schools, districts, colleges and universities apply to their state education authorities. State authorities can submit up to six nominees to ED, documenting achievement in all three Pillars. This information is used at the Department to select the awardees. ED collects information on nominees from state nominating authorities regarding their schools, districts, and postsecondary nominees. State agencies are provided sample applications for all three types of nominees for their use and adaptation. Most states adapt the sample to their state competition. There is no one federal application for the award, but rather various applications determined by states. They do use a required two-page Nominee Submission Form as a cover sheet, which ED provides. This document, in school, district, and postsecondary submission formats is attached. The burden varies greatly from state authority to authority and how they chose to approach the award. The recognition award is part of a U.S. Department of Education (ED) effort to identify and communicate practices that result in improved student engagement, academic achievement, graduation rates, and workforce preparedness, and reinforce federal efforts to increase energy independence and economic security. Encouraging resource efficient schools, districts, and IHEs allows administrators to dedicate more resources to instruction rather than operational costs. Healthy schools and wellness practices ensure that all students learn in an environment conducive to achieving their full potential, free of the health disparities that can aggravate achievement gaps. Sustainability education helps students engage in hands-on learning, hone critical thinking skills, learn many disciplines and develop a solid foundation in STEM subjects. It motivates postsecondary students in many disciplines, and especially those underserved in STEM subjects, to persist and graduate with sought after degrees and robust civic skills. So that the Administration can receive states’ nominations, ED seeks to provide the Nominee Presentation Form to states – essentially a cover sheet for states’ evaluation of their nominees to ED – in three versions; one for school nominees, another for district nominees, and a third form for postsecondary nominees.

The latest form for U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Nominee Presentation Form expires 2023-12-31 and can be found here.