Urban Climate Change
9-Credit Microcredential

Teaching Urban Climate Change:
Systems, Science & Stewardship

Cohort 4 starts January 2027

Cohort 4 Interest Form

STEMteachersNYC, City College of New York & Partners

STEMteachersNYC and City College of New York offer this three-course, nine-credit microcredential for NYC educators in public, charter, and independent schools. The program welcomes practicing and prospective teachers. Explore how climate change affects New York City and the wider world through fieldwork, data analysis, and collaboration with local nonprofits, teacher-leaders, and climate scientists. Bring classroom-ready tools and strategies back to your students, with ongoing support from the STEMteachersNYC community.

Strengthen Understanding. Enhance Teaching.

Science Content

Systems and resilience focused coursework. Engage with scientists and researchers using grade-appropriate datasets to examine cause and effect.

Teaching Resources

Engage directly with tool and curriculum developers to access vetted tools, lessons, and units already in use across NYC schools.

Real Teaching Connections

Includes student work, PBL strategies, and real-world examples. Engage with colleagues already teaching Climate Change.

In-Person Fieldwork

Work with local nonprofit partners to investigate urban climate systems through field research and data analysis.

Course Overview

Course 1: Foundations

Student Mode

Climate as a System / The Urban Climate System

Use New York City as a starting point to explore how climate systems connect and to examine climate change causes, impacts, and possible solutions.

Course 2: In the Field

Researcher Mode

Hands-on Climate Research

Work with local partners to collect and analyze data and explore ways to adapt field research for your students.

Course 3: Putting It Into Practice

Teacher Mode

Climate in the Classroom

Learn from NYC teachers who already teach climate change. Use examples of student work, project-based learning, current events, and the Ecology Disrupted curriculum to develop materials for your classroom.

Microcredential in Action

Climate Action 1 Climate Action 2 Climate Action 3 Climate Action 4 Climate Action 5 Climate Action 6

Outcomes

  • ✔ Develop/upgrade existing lesson plans.
  • ✔ Contribute to a shared archive.
  • ✔ Implement new tools in your classroom.
  • ✔ Join a communal body of knowledge.

Collaborators

Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the American Museum of Natural History, NYC Parks, the New York Academy of Sciences, Urban Systems Lab, and STEMteachersNYC teacher-leaders.

“To make it relevant to you, we would like your input on content, structure and outputs. Please share your interest and feedback!”

Interested in Cohort 4?

Tuition support may be available for up to 15 NYC Public Schools teachers.

Use the interest form to tell us about your teaching context, what you hope to learn, and what would help you participate. Licensed CTE teachers in NYC Public Schools may be eligible for tuition coverage through the Green Careers program.

Cohort 4 Interest Form

For more information reach out to yadana@stemteachersnyc.org