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60 CHAPTER 04: PRIORITY OUTCOMES, INDICATORS AND MEASURES4.4 EducationSchool gardening, plant-based education andagricultural studies have enjoyed a long history in theUS 1 . Over the past fifteen years, food and gardenbasedactivities have proliferated nationwide. Theyseek to improve students’ academic achievement,environmental literacy, health and wellness, andcivic participation. Farm to school includes foodandgarden-based education as a way to bringsubjects like math, health, language arts, scienceand geography to life. These activities may enhancelearning environments through encouraging inquirythat appeals to different learning styles 2–4 . Hands-on,place-based and project-based methods used in farmto school through gardening or other food-basedactivities engage students and reinforce learningthrough visual, written and experiential strategies 5–7 .With respect to farm to school outcomes, theeducation sector overlaps with content in theenvironmental quality sector because food educationand garden-based activities may support knowledgeand skill development in environmentally friendlybehaviors, such as composting or recycling 6,9–12 .An Education Lens for Farm to SchoolIn K–12 environments, farm to school activitiescan align with the “whole child” concept of acomprehensive education that supports studentknowledge and emotional and physical health.Engaging children in their learning and alongsidetheir larger community, prepares them for workand economic self-sufficiency, and establishes anunderstanding about the world 13 . An extensive reviewof education research indicates that student academicbehaviors such as attending and participating inclass, academic perseverance such as self-disciplineand tenacity, academic mindsets such as a feelingof being able to succeed in learning, and learningstrategies such as goal setting and study skills directlyimpact student grades and academic performance 14 .Researchers argue that teaching youth to becomelearners involves transforming classrooms with ideasthat engage students’ natural curiosity, a desire tolearn, and building a sense of what is possible for theirfuture 14 .In pre-K and early child education centers, farm topre-school activities align with the eleven domainsset forth in the Head Start Child Development andEVALUATION FOR TRANSFORMATION