Reporting on a recent proposal to require climate change education for elementary, middle, and high school students in New York's public schools, the Albany Times-Union (November 13, 2025) cited NCSE's research on climate change education at the middle school level:
Another survey, published in the Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education last year, reported that 43% of middle school science teachers told their students that climate change was caused by natural processes — not humans.
That survey asked teachers about several climate change topics. It found that 37% of the science teachers offered a mixed message — they told students that most scientists "agree climate change is caused by humans releasing greenhouse gases from fossil fuel," but also that many scientists believe it's caused by "natural processes."
Some teachers said they avoided any discussion about the causes of climate change.
The cited study is "Climate change education in U.S. middle schools: Changes over five pivotal years," by Eric Plutzer of Pennsylvania State University and Glenn Branch and Amanda L. Townley of NCSE.
