Pie Ranch is a center for education and social change on a small diversified farm in southern San Mateo County. We seek to connect people to rural agricultural landscapes through meaningful involving relationships in order to cultivate a love of being and working outdoors, and a commitment to protect agricultural lands and dedicate them to sustainable systems. Our programming is unique in its emphasis on repeat visits to the farm and sustained internships. These longer term commitments of time, attention, and relationship provide 1) an opportunity for a deep personal connection to the farm and the surrounding wildlands, thus deepening students’ reflection on their relationship to place, including their own home and school environments; 2) a framework of accountability, and the associated opportunity to develop responsibility and leadership; 3) several entry points to the food system, and the opportunity to develop intimate understanding of the interconnections among producers, consumers, and distributors, designed to motivate commitment to the development of a sustainable food system.
During our pilot year, we worked closely with teachers from our first partner school and designed the initial curriculum to integrate with English, Science, and History program and standards. The program design includes both individual and collaborative work and reflection on project accomplishments; student involvement in assessing their own progress and the group’s collective learning ensures that they play a lead role in setting the direction of project goals and evaluating their achievement. In our first 12 months of programming, partnering teachers quickly saw strong evidence through classroom exercises and student presentations that this experiential outdoor educational program, with its service components, was correlated with improved student achievements in cognitive learning, teamwork development, and positive behavior changes.

Davenport , CA 95017
http://www.pieranch.org/

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