Open Letter for a Course in Regenerative Economics

This open letter supports the creation of a free, open-access classroom-ready course in Regenerative Economics. All secondary school educators and administrators worldwide, from all school types and systems, are invited to join us by signing to show your support for this initiative.

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We, the undersigned secondary-school educators and administrators, want to equip our students with the knowledge and skills needed to create a future of human and ecological thriving. 

In our view, today’s mainstream economics education is failing to do this. In some cases, mainstream economics education perpetuates the degenerative economic systems we have inherited by:

• framing the economy as separate from society and nature;
• assuming that endless economic growth is desirable and possible;
• ignoring the vital, regenerative role of household care and of the commons in the economy;
• using outdated models that paint humanity as essentially self-interested and competitive; and
• reducing the student’s role to being a passive recipient of narrowly-framed information about the economy, rather than supporting student agency to understand and catalyse economic transformation.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of students leave secondary and tertiary economics education courses and programs without the foundations and insights they need to help create economies that can meet human needs within planetary boundaries. This must change.

Through their Track Changes project, the student organisations Teach the Future UK and SOS-UK invited teachers and academics to collaborate in revising secondary economics curricula. Through this work, a new syllabus in Regenerative Economics has been developed that reframes students’ understanding of the purpose and workings of the local-to-global economy. The syllabus was co-created by secondary educators, researchers, and academics including Kate Raworth, David Bollier and Emily Jones.

This Regenerative Economics syllabus:

• frames complex, adaptive economic systems as embedded in and dependent upon social and natural systems;
• presents the economy, including business and finance, as a means to achieve social and ecological wellbeing, rather than as an end in itself;
• recognises the importance of multiple provisioning systems - the household, the market, the commons and the state - and highlights their interdependence;
• explores the role, impact, and ethical responsibilities associated with the international exchanges of a country, its businesses and its residents;
• helps students understand their own lived experience in the economy, and how they can be part of transforming current economic systems to meet human needs within planetary boundaries.

To turn this Regenerative Economics syllabus into a classroom-ready course, the next step is the development of a comprehensive, free, open-access online textbook with learning activities and assessment models that enhance student agency.

We ask funders to provide financial support for developing the proposed free, open-access Regenerative Economics textbook and supporting materials.

Once these resources are developed, we are interested in piloting part or all of the Regenerative Economics course in our schools to learn about and help co-create teaching methods for introducing and applying these concepts with students.

Together, we can accelerate the paradigm shift in economics education to provide secondary-school students with the education and skills that they seek and deserve. 

Link to sign the letter:
https://forms.gle/mu6NAFyQgU4SHRAq6

Prototype info: https://doughnuteconomics.org/tools/244
Contact: jennifer@regenerativeeconomics.earth

Signed:

• Paul Fochtman | Head of School | Frankfurt International School | Germany
• Eve Jardine-Young | Principal | Cheltenham Ladies College | UK
• Conrad Hughes | Director General | International School of Geneva | Switzerland
• Roel Scheepens | Rector | Maartenscollege and International School Groningen | Netherlands
• Daun Yorke | Head of School | Hanoi International School | Vietnam
• Andrew Watson | Head of Upper School | Faraz-Kiyani Mirza | Economics Teacher | International School of Amsterdam | Netherlands
• Kevin House | Group Education Futures Architect | Education in Motion | Singapore
• Lodewijk van Oord | Head of College | United World College Maastricht | Netherlands
• Chrissie Sorenson | Head of School | Bavarian International School | Germany
• Björn Walden | Head of School | Strothoff International School | Germany
• Gregory Threlfall | Director of Outreach | Shrewsbury International School Bangkok | Thailand
• Brandie Smith  | Head of School | Leipzig International School | Germany
• Andreas Koini | Head of School | Antwerp International School | Belgium
• Jane Thompson | Head of School | American School of Paris | France
• Hannah Wenger | IBDP Coordinator | Eastern Mediterranean International School | Israel
• Brian Sutton | IBDP Economics Teacher | Riverside School Prague | Czechia
• Elena Lengthorn | Senior Lecturer Teacher Education | School of Education, University of Worcester | UK
• Kim Polgreen | Sustainability Educator | Oxford University | UK
• d'Arcy Lunn | Group Head of Sustainability and Global Citizenship | Education in Motion / Teaspoons of Change | China
• Fiona Old | Head of Geography | Kingsthorpe College | UK
• Kate Gray | Director | Manchester Steiner Ltd | UK
• Michael Rowlands | Head of Economics | Rochester Independent College | UK
• Rachel Allen | Assistant Head of Sixth Form | Secondary School in NE Wales | Wales
• Priyanka Chakraborty | Lecturer | Sonarpur College | India
• Alexander Gerber | Research Director, Dept. Chair for Science Communication | Institute for Science & Innovation Communication | Germany
• Richard Owens | Director | Woodleigh Institute | Australia
• Roberto Estevez | Board Member | Colegio santo domingo | Argentina
• Maria Alejandra Gonzalez-Perez  | Professor of Corporate Sustainability | Universidad EAFIT | Columbia
• Patricio Angonoa | School legal representant | Colegio Kopernikus | Chile
• Neil Shanks | Clinical Assistant Professor | Baylor University | USA
• Dominique Marie Times | Teacher, Grad Student | Secondary school, Boston University | USA
• Petia Tzokova | Affiliated Lecturer | University of Cambridge | UK
• Max Foxall | Teacher of English | Robert College | Turkey
• Jay Tompt | Lecturer | Schumacher College | UK
• Eva Vandenberghe | Masters Student | Ghent University | Belgium
• Chris Stevens | Headmaster | Bradfield College | UK
• Ciaran Cousins | English Teacher | Oeiras international school | Portugal
• Reinaldo Martínez | CEO | Mater Natura NGO | Venezuela
• Sally Hawker | Teacher of English | Wolverley CE Secondary | UK
• Catherine Misson | Education Strategist | Independent Schools, NSW & VIC | Australia
• Lachlan Wood | IB DP Env. Systems & Societies Teacher, Global Citizenship Coord. | Australian Independent School Indonesia
• Ellen Field | Assistant professor | Faculty of Education, Lakehead University | Canada
• Michael Reid | Tutor | School of Philosophy, Cambridge | UK
• Patrick J. Walsh | Chair, Social Studies | Catlin Gabel School | USA
• Rachel Musson | Director of Learning | ThoughtBox Education | UK
• Martin Wm. Collins | Freelance Educator | UK
• Jessica Tipton | Founder | UK Schools Sustainability Network | UK
• Brent Poland | Head of History | St John Houghton CVA | UK
• Daniel Pullin | Economics Teacher | Burford School | UK
• Phil Randay | Geography Teacher | St Andrews Academy | UK
• David Jones | Maths tutor | York College | UK
• Sam Moore | Teacher of Economics & Business | St Laurence School | UK
• Sam Janes | Head of Economics | Oundle School | UK
• Fátima Campos | Sciences Secondary School Teacher | IES EL RINCÓN 
• Abigail Lovell | Senior Leader at a Secondary School | Matford Brook | UK
• Andrew Macdonald-Brown | English teacher & Sustainability Head | Francis Holland School | UK
• Melanie Morgan | Teacher | GES Kuwait | Kuwait
• Rachel Manning | Head of Youth Networks  | Global Action Plan/UKSSN | UK
• Kate Sommerville | Senior Master | The Lisboan International School | Portugal
• Alan Parkinson | Head of Geography | King's Ely Junior | UK
• Nicole Markle | Middle School FRYSC | West Jessamine Middle School | USA
• Trish Hansen | Principal  | Urban Mind Studio | Australia
• Jasmine Turner  | Head of Business and Economics  | St Mary's and St John's CE School | UK
• Sally Bailey | Executive Director, Artemis Programs | Melbourne Girls Grammar School | Australia
• Zarina Long | Geography Teacher | Nord Anglia International School Dubai | UAE
• Maggie Favretti | Author, Learning in the Age of Climate Disaster | Design Ed 4 Resilience | USA
• Nuala Glanton | Adult Education Officer  | Cork ETB | Ireland
• Ian Mcdermott  | Chemistry teacher  | Harris Westminster | UK
• Kit Marie Rackley | Freelance Geography educator, podcaster, author and consultant | Geogramblings, Geographical Association and NASBTT | UK
• Chris Caves | Director of Academic Affairs | Chinese International School | China (HK)
• Samuel Wines | Co-Founder  | Co-Labs Australia | Australia
• Catherine Agius | Teacher of English/Head of Year | Bramcote College | UK
• Violeta De Leon | Parents and Teacher Association EE. UU. | North East ISD | USA
• Paddy Nelson | Communications Co-ordinator  | Rethinking Economics International | UK
• Juliette Alenda | Assistant Professor  | Radboud University | Netherlands
• Shamir Shehab | Founder and Trustee | Bangladesh Youth Environmental Initiative (BYEI) | Bangladesh
• Yohanes Andika Tjitrajaya | Lecturer | Parahyangan Catholic University | Indonesia
• Robert Austin | Lecturer in Physics | Purdue University | USA
• Amyaz Moledina | Professor of Economics | The College of Wooster | USA
  Katherine Fey | Head of T&L | Pate’s Grammar School | UK
• Cat Ho | Practitioner-Researcher Critical Economic Literacy and Teacher | University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign and Dulwich College | Singapore / China
• Marina Perunovska | IB Economics Teacher | NOVA International Schools | North Macedonia
• Zachary Czuprynski | Sustainability Coordinator & Educator | Prescott College | USA
• Noémie Vauthey  | Teacher | Collège de Grand Champ | Switzerland
• Sylvain Hours | Economics Lecturer | University of Montpellier | France
• Katarina Gromova  | Headmaster  | Talent Campus Zürichsee | Switzerland
• Michelle Blanchet | Founder | The Educators' Lab | Switzerland
• Giuseppe Alkire | Masters Student | Indiana University - Bloomington | USA
• Mason Pashia | Creative Director | Getting Smart | USA
• Beatriz Martins Arruda | Ph.D. Student | University of Campinas | Brazil
• Ian Hunt | Lecturer, Critical Studies | Deparment of Art, Goldsmiths | UK
• Vicky Hwang  | Founder  | BOLDER NOW | Taiwan
• Samson Swanick | Director of Global Citizenship  | Dulwich College Beijing | China
• Megan Murray-Pepper | Teacher of English | Magdalen College School Oxford | UK
• Sjoukje Goldman | Associate Professor Sustainable Marketing | Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences | Netherlands
• Teodoro José Eustáquio de Oliveira | Professor de Economia | Universidade de Itaúna | Brazil
• Anna Fletcher | Head of Sixth Form | The Charter School North Dulwich | UK
• Ben Christopher | Head of Economics | Dubai College | UAE
• Rosa Ana Cervera | Sociologa ecofeminista | Ecofemismos Valencia | Spain
• Marwa Elgezery  | Principal | Kansai International Academy | Japan
• Rosa Tibosch | Community Manager Green Offices Metropol Region Amsterdam | ROC, Amsterdam Univ., Univ. of Amsterdam and Amsterdam Univ. of Applied Sciences | Netherlands
• Jo Sayers | Director & Learning Designer | LearnJam | UK
• Marsha McDougall | IB Economics Teacher | Holly Uttley | Head of Humanities | Munich International School | Germany
• Pravin | IBDP Economics and IBMYP Individuals and Societies teacher | International School of Turin | Italy
• Tina Graham | Principal  | Kingsbridge Community College | UK
• Tung Tung Chan | Senior Manager | United Nations Principles of Responsible Management Education (UN PRME) | USA
• Roo Stenning | Head of High School | St Andrews International School, Bangkok | Thailand
• Gerardo de Vega | Social Impact Lead | Country Day School | Costa Rica
• James Mattiace | Co-Founder, Head of International Partnerships | Our Sole Success | Mexico
• Hal Ott | IB Coordinator  | Gulliver Prep | USA
• Allen Gunderson | Business Department Head & Social Studies Teacher | Spectrum Community School (Greater Victoria School District) | Canada
• Zoe Badcock | ESS Teacher and Leader in Sustainability and Innovation | International School of Zug and Luzern | Switzerland
• Jonathan Halden | Secondary School Principal | International School of Geneva - La Grande Boissière | Switzerland
• Richard Sharkey  | Economics Dept | Christ’s Hospital | UK
• Myra Stok | Student | London School of Economics | UK
• Nirmala Josephine Venkatesh | Secondary Economics teacher  | Gems Westminster school | UAE
• Cindy Müller  | IBDP Business teacher | Germany
• Anne-Marie Codur | Chair | The University of the Middle East Project | Remote
• Diego Parra | Latin America Regional Program Director  | The Nature Conservancy | Columbia
• Tessa Liebman | Teacher | Christelijk Lyceum Zandvliet | The Netherlands
• Morayo Stephen Odeyemi  | Economics Teacher  | Graceland International School, Port Harcourt | Nigeria
  Ruth Sapsed | Director | Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination | UK
• Dr Penny Hay | Professor of Imagination | Bath Spa University | UK
• Sacha Knox | Economist  | Economists for Future | South Africa
• Azhar Rasool | Economics Teacher | The Cheltenham Centre | China
• Jacob Rask | Lecturer in Economics | ROSKILDE UNIVERSITY | Denmark
• Alex Catallo | Co-Founder and Education Lead | Curriculum for Life | alex@curriculumforlife.com | UK
  Andrew Watson | Co-Director | Sustainability Education www.sused.org | a.watson@sused.org | Ireland
• Adolfo Chautón Pérez | Territorial Innovation Coordinator | Planeta Alecrim Associação | Portugal
• Carla Esteves | Master's Student | ISCTE | Portugal
• Bhagya Raj | Investment Associate | Future Alternative Ltd | UK
• Steve Cochrane | Executive Director | Institute for Humane Education | USA
• Swaminathan Prabhuram Mudaliyar | Economic Facilitator | The Pupil | India
• Cody Dolnick | Adjunct Lecturer | Southwestern Community College | USA
• Davie Philip  | Educator, community facilitator  | Cultivate | Ireland
• Alex Miers | Post Graduate Certificate in Ecological Economics | University of Leeds | UK
• Cyrus Mbugua | ReGeneration Steward | Kwezi Konsult | Kenya
• Gareth Manning | Lead Educator and Curriculum Designer | REAL School Budapest | Hungary 
• Blair Peterson | Secondary Principal | The International School of Tanganyika | Tanzania
• Oliver Fischer | Economics teacher | Greenhead college | ofischer@greenhead.ac.uk | UK
• Ralph Hall | Professor | Virginia Tech | rphall@vt.edu | USA
• Diego Parra | Regional program director (Latin America) | The Nature Conservancy | Colombia
• Mark Johnston | Head of Department, Economics | King's College | New Zealand
• Elaine Howarth | Economics Student | York University | Canada
• Dominique Bollinger | Sustainability Coordinator for HES-SO | HES-SO - University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland | Switzerland
• Anne Snick | Member | Club of Rome | Belgium
• Chris Holtslag | Teacher | Helsieni | Finland
• Molly Linehan Belcher | Theology Teacher | Charleston Catholic High School | USA
• Moosa Yousuf | Teacher of Economics, Business, and Mathematics | Bay House School and Sixth Form  | UK
• Hilary Darcy | Global Citizenship Education Coordinator  | Financial Justice Ireland | Ireland
• Denise McMahon | Head of Economics | Institute Le Rosey | Switzerland
• Paula Cordeiro | Professor of Educational Leadership | University of San Diego | USA
• Kathryn Milun | Professor/Director Solar Commons Project | University of Minnesota | USA
• Elzbieta Koralewska | Teacher of Economics and Business Management | Kent College Canterbury | UK
• Carla Günther | Student | University of applied sciences Neu-Ulm | Germany
• Letícia Cardona Teruel | Secondary social sciences teacher | La Nostra Escola Comarcal | Spain
• Add your school or education organisation by signing the open letter!