Schoolyard LTER Program

In the Harvard Forest Schoolyard LTER program, teachers learn about and initiate ecology research in their classrooms and schoolyards. More than 3,500 students each year learn to collect data on important long-term ecological issues and processes. Student data are then shared on the Harvard Forest website.

The Harvard Forest is part of a national network of sites that support K-12 teachers and students in hands-on ecological research.This work is supported by the Long-Term Ecological Research Program of the National Science Foundation, Highstead Foundation, and private donors.

Real Science - Real Scientists - Real Issues

• Research Projects. Students participate in authentic, field-based research projects that address important, current environmental issues.
• Professional Development Workshops and Online Resources. Teachers are given direct access to Harvard Forest ecologists.
• Schoolyard LTER Database. (Sept. 2020 note: the database is currently down; we are working to get it back up quickly!) Download and graph data online. Participating schools can also login to submit new data.
• Schoolyard Ecology Blog. Follow the highlights of our program!
• HF Schoolyard project connections to 2013 Mass. Science Frameworks incorporating NGSS.
• Online resources to support remote learning during COVID-19 school closures.