Islandwood
Discovery becomes Action
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
CHANGE THE WORLD FOR GOOD Through experiential education, we take urgent issues and make them relevant to young people, shedding light on the power we all have to change to the world for good. This approach prepares the next generation of inspired environmental problem solvers to work together to make an exponential impact on the planet—now and in the future. Our school programs reach more than 12,000 students in a typical year at our 250-acre campus on Bainbridge Island, in Seattle neighborhoods, and at the King County Brightwater Wastewater Treatment Plant in Woodinville. In addition, we partner with teachers and schools across our region to provide curriculum, teacher professional development and support, and advocacy that helps connect classroom learning to real environmental issues in students’ communities. Through our graduate program we are also preparing future leaders in education to ignite change in our schools, communities, and planet.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
School Overnight Program
This four-day program on Bainbridge Island extends learning
beyond the classroom, engaging 4th—6th graders in critical
thinking, scientific investigations, and actions that build awareness
of and concern for the wellbeing of people and the planet.
Community Waters Science Unit
Designed in partnership with Seattle Public Schools, Community Waters engages 4th graders in science and engineering to understand and develop a solution to a real-world stormwater runoff problem in their community. In the process, students deepen their knowledge of science, come to view science as relevant to their lives and future, and engage in science in socially relevant and transformative ways.
Graduate Program in Education for Environment and Community
Offered in partnership with the University of Washington, our graduate program is a 10-month immersive residency in justice-oriented environmental education; experiential, student-centered learning; and culturally responsive teaching and curriculum development.
Day Programs in Seattle and at Brightwater
Our day programs connect classroom learning to real-world environmental challenges in students’ own communities. We offer water-themed day-long programs at King County’s Brightwater Wastewater Treatment Plant in Woodinville, as well as field studies of neighborhood creeks, streams, and stormwater infrastructure in Seattle.
Teacher Professional Development
Our professional development programs offer teachers strategies for
connecting classroom science to students’ lives and communities.
Through workshops and on-site support, teachers find new ways to
make science more meaningful and engaging for all students and build
their students’ capacity to solve real-world environmental issues.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsScholarship dollars awarded to School Overnight Program participants
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
School Overnight Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Percent of schools that received a scholarship to the School Overnight Program
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
School Overnight Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of students who attended the School Overnight Program
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
School Overnight Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Percent of schools that participate in our Urban Schools Program free of charge
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Community Waters Science Unit
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of students who attended one or more of our Urban Schools Programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Community Waters Science Unit
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Percentage of teachers who said they are more likely to use the schoolyard as a learning space.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of teachers trained
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Through our Teacher Development Program we are reaching more teachers than ever before. Our teachers have brought environmental learning to more than 4,000 kids annually.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our direct experiential environmental learning programs on Bainbridge Island, in Seattle, and in Woodinville, WA reach more than 12,000 3rd-8th graders annually. We reach thousands more kids and community members nationwide through the work of our alumni from our two graduate programs in education, as well as through our curriculum development, teacher training programs, and policy work.
All of these programs seek to advance innovative educational approaches that build understanding of our environment and empower every student to take action for greater environmental health and wellbeing. We do this through a four-pronged approach:
1. Integrating community-based, experiential environmental learning into formal education;
2. Fostering equitable access to culturally-relevant learning experiences outside the classroom;
3. Increasing diversity in the education, science, and environmental fields; and
4. Cultivating sustainable cities through education.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Integrate community-based, environmental learning into formal education: We offer day-long science programs and field studies in the greater Seattle area, intentionally designed to support teachers in connecting classroom learning to real-world examples. We've expanded our partnership with Seattle Public Schools to co-develop a 4th grade science unit and teacher training program called Community Waters. This stormwater engineering unit empowers students to define and design a solution to a local stormwater problem in their schoolyard or school neighborhood.
In addition, IslandWood is working to engage policymakers and partners on a state and national level to better support schools and teachers in taking learning outside the classroom and connecting science to real-world environmental problems in students' communities.
Foster equitable access to culturally-relevant learning experiences outside the classroom:
Our School Overnight Program – a multi-day residential environmental learning experience – was created to improve access to outdoor learning programs and is committed to culturally responsive instruction. At least 50% of the students come from low-income households and we offer differentiated programming that meets the needs of each school. The program is taught by our graduate students, using best practices in anti-bias education. We intentionally facilitate integration between schools giving students the opportunity to work together to identify and solve small systems issues, and practice critical social skills such as active listening and respectful dialogue.
We also regularly host Community Engagement Forums to listen to, learn from, consult, and develop strategies with parents, teachers, and community members to better engage each unique, diverse community.
IslandWood led a state-level coalition of organizations that advocated for the No Child Left Inside bill, which has resulted in $2.5 million in state funding for outdoor recreation and learning for underserved youth. During the 2018 legislative session, IslandWood advocated alongside other environmental education organizations for state funding to increase access to community-connected environmental learning resulting in $4 million for teacher training and support.
Increase diversity in the education, science, and environmental fields: The students in our Graduate Program in Education for Environment and Community increase diversity in our field. As our alumni become educational leaders in classrooms and in communities, they inspire youth to pursue careers in these areas.
Cultivate sustainable cities through education: IslandWood is advancing thinking around how environmental education is done in urban areas. Our programs for school aged children are focused on connecting students to the ecology and systems that shape their communities, and on empowering them to solve problems.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
IslandWood is a learning organization that values continual program evolution, evaluation, and improvement. Most of our educators hold PhDs and Master's in education or related fields, and are committed to culturally responsive and inclusive curriculum and instruction. Through our Education for Environment and Community Graduate Program, we are continually learning from our graduate students, incorporating research, and developing best practices in environmental education.
Partnerships also play an important role in our work. IslandWood has strong local, national, and state level partnerships, including long-standing educational partnerships with King County and Seattle Public Schools reaching thousands of students annually.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In the two decades since we welcomed the first school bus of children to our Bainbridge Island campus, IslandWood has grown into a bold leader in innovative and inclusive education that fosters greater environmental health, a sustainable future, and social and ecological wellbeing for all. In recent years, IslandWood has been pushing the boundaries of environmental education.
Our flagship School Overnight Program provides outdoor environmental education to more than 4,000 4th – 6th grade students in a typical year, primarily from the Puget Sound region. Approximately half of the students we serve come from underserved schools, defined by high rates of students who qualify for free/reduced school meals. Our graduate certificate program in culturally-responsive teaching and experiential education – The Education for Environment and Community Program – was created at the same time as our School Overnight Program in partnership with the University of Washington now boasts nearly 350 alumni.
In 2010, IslandWood established our Urban School Programs, which today serves more than 7,000 3rd - 8th grade students each year in Seattle schools, parks and neighborhoods, and at the Brightwater Wastewater Treatment Center.
In recent years, IslandWood has extended its impact by co-developing science curriculum for Seattle Public Schools, providing teacher training in Next Gen Science Standards, launching and implementing a national and state policy engagement program.
We look forward to continuing to deepen and expand the ways in which we support public schools and teachers in providing community-connected environmental learning that empowers students to take action for greater environmental health and community wellbeing for all.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, Feedback requires heavy staff time, programs are prioritized
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Islandwood
Board of directorsas of 08/02/2022
Jason Baumgarten
Partner, Spencer Stuart
Term: 2020 -
Jason Baumgarten
Technology, Communications & Media, Spencer Stuart
Marc Berejka
Director of Community and Government Affairs, REI
Laury Bryant
Community Volunteer
Laura Clise
CEO, Intentionalist
Larry Estrada
Vice President, Private Wealth Management, Goldman Sachs
Ellie Fields
Senior Director of Product Marketing, Tableau Software
Camille Gibson
Retired Marketing Executive, General Mills
David Goldberg
President, Mithun
Gretchen Hund Andrews
Director, Center for Global Security, Pacific NW National Laboratory
Fred Kleisner
Independent Director
Marguerite Kondracke
Social Entrepreneur; Retired CEO, America’s Promise
Nate Miles
Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, Eli Lilly and Company
Sara Moorehead
Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Boeing Employees Credit Union. Chief Alchemist, Alchemy Communications
Yoko Okano
Senior Manager, Content & Product, Actively Learn
Sara Otepka
Entrepreneur
Ben Packard
Executive Director, Earthlab at the University of Washington
Will Rava
Partner, Perkins Coie
Steve Sundquist
Chair, Washington State Charter School
Pooja Tandon
Pediatrician, Seattle Children’s Hospital and Research Institute. Assistant Professor, University of Washington
Lois Hartman
Community Volunteer
Leslie Gordon
Retired IBM Global Executive
Nathaniel Pieper
SVP, Fleet and Finance & Alliances and Treasurer, Alaska Airlines
Ben Nimmergut
VP Engineering Functions, Washington State Design Centers
Bisi Akinola
Director and Asocciate General Counsel for Meta Business Group
Chasity Malatesta
Eductaor, Facilitator & Equity Advocate
Dan Meyer
Retired Dentist, Scientist & Educator
David Wu
President & CEO, Special Olympics Washington
Kelvin Washington
Executive Director, MUST
Stacey Sturgess
SVP and Private Client Manager at Bank of America
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data