SEPN

Understanding Sustainability Uptake in Canadian Formal Education

Between 2012 and 2020, SEPN conducted a large-scale comparative research project to better understand how policy can advance sustainability in and through education across the Canadian formal primary, secondary, and higher education systems.

This Canadian Landscape Analysis, also known as SEPN-Canada, study explored the uptake of sustainability in education policy and practice in all 13 provincial and territorial Ministries of Education, 374 school divisions, and 220 accredited post-secondary institutions in Canada. This unprecedented scale of research resulted in a final dataset comprising over 1,600 policy documents and journal articles, 900 interviews, 60 focus groups, 1,300 pieces of visual data, and quantitative data from 3,000 participants. Over 700 policy-makers, sustainability staff, educational practitioners, and researchers were engaged in the research through meetings, interactive workshops, policy forums, and conferences.

The SEPN-Canada project led to the creation of a robust  international network that continues to make an impact on sustainability and climate change education policy and practice through robust, large-scale comparative education research.

Research Methods

The project leveraged three main research methods. Publications and resources developed by the project may be found below. 

Policy Analysis

Collected evidence of sustainability uptake in through sustainability censuses of all 13 provincial and territorial Ministries of Education, 374 school divisions, and 220 accredited post-secondary institutions in Canada, as well as content analyses of over 1,600 existing policy documents.

Survey

Examined the on-the-ground experiences of over 1,000 students, educators, administrators, staff, and policy-makers with sustainability uptake in policy and practice in primary, secondary, and higher education across the country.

Site Visit Case Studies

Examined the relationships between sustainability practices and related policies through a series of in-depth comparative case studies of educational institutions in primary, secondary, and higher education. Over 900 interviews, 60 focus groups, and 1,300 pieces of visual data were collected.

Partners and Collaborators

The SEPN-Canada project team comprised over 40 team members from across world and included 10 key partners. We gratefully acknowledge the financial and in-kind support of our partners and contributors. The project was funded by a $2 million Partnership Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC, 2012-2020, Grant No. 895-2011-1025), with an additional $1 million in funding from our partner and contributor organizations. Additional funding was provided by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation Leader’s Opportunity Fund University of Saskatchewan’s Office of Vice-President Research, College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, College of Education, Office of Sustainability, School of Environment and Sustainability, and Sustainability Education Research Institute.

List of Publications

Journal Articles
Beveridge, D., McKenzie, M., Strobbe, K.M., & Aikens, K. (2019).

A national census of sustainability in k-12 education policy: Implications for international monitoring, evaluation, and research.

Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, 188, 36 – 52.
Cheeseman, A., Wright. T., Murray, J., and McKenzie, M. (2019).

Taking stock: A review of sustainability education policy research in higher education.

Environmental Education Research, DOI: 10.1080/13504622.2019.1616164.
Maina, N., Murray, J., & McKenzie, M. (2019).

Climate change and the fossil fuel divestment movement in Canadian higher education: Actions, actors, tactics, and their mobilities.

Actions, actors, tactics, and their mobilities. Journal of Cleaner Production, 253, 1-10.
Bieler, A., Haluza-DeLay, R., Dale, A., & McKenzie, M. (2018).

A national overview of climate change education policy: Policy coherence between subnational climate and education policies in Canada (K-12).

Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, 11(2), 63-85.
Murray, J. (2018).

Student-led action for sustainability in higher education: A literature review.

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 19(6), 1095-1110.  
Bieler, A., & McKenzie, M. (2017).

Strategic planning for sustainability in Canadian higher education.

Sustainability, 9, 161. DOI:10.3390/su9020161.
Books
Chapters in Books
Major Projects, Theses, and Dissertations
Bentham, D. (2014).

Environmental sustainability education policy and practice in Canadian Aboriginal education settings [Unpublished master’s major project report].

University of Saskatchewan, Canada.
Lidstone, L. (2014).

A content analysis of sustainability policies and plans from STARS-rated Canadian higher education institutions [Unpublished master’s thesis].

Dalhousie University, Canada.
Beveridge, D., McKenzie, M., Aikens, K., Strobbe, K. M., & Beveridge, R.M. (2017).

Sustainability in K-12 education: Closing the research gap on understanding national trends.

Sustainability and Education Policy Network, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
Bieler, A., McKenzie, M., & Chopin, N.S. (2017).

Strategic planning for sustainability in Canadian higher education.

Sustainability and Education Policy Network, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
Research Briefs
Maina, N. (2016).

The state of fossil fuel divestment in Canadian post-secondary institutions.

Infographic series published by Sustainability and Education Policy Network, Saskatoon, Canada.
Vaughter, P., McKenzie, M., Lidstone, L., Wright, T., & Beveridge, R.M. (2016).

Campus sustainability governance in Canada: Spotlight on the content of post-secondary education sustainability policies.

Sustainability and Education Policy Network, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
Beveridge, D., McKenzie, M., Vaughter, P., & Wright, T., & Beveridge, R.M. (2015).

Sustainability in Canadian post-secondary institutions: The leaders, the laggards and where they live.

Sustainability and Education Policy Network, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
Lidstone, L., Wright, T., Sherren, K., & Beveridge, R.M. (2015).

Canadian campuses: Assessing sustainability policy and planning in STARS-rated campuses.

Sustainability and Education Policy Network, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
Strobbe, K., Young, A., McKenzie, M. & Beveridge, R.M. (2014).

K-12 Environmental Certification Programs: Building Greener Schools and Environmental Citizens.

Sustainability and Education Policy Network, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
Infographics
Reports