Open Letter for a Course in Regenerative Economics
An invitation to secondary school educators & staff to support the creation of a Regenerative Economics course
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.
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using outdated models that paint humanity as essentially self-interested and competitive; and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.
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
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
Hi Kathryn, we are looking at possible platforms now - working up a first prototype as we speak. Kahn Academy is great for many things, but not certain it would be the right platform for these materials. But still exploring...thanks for the enthusiasm!
.jpg)
Allen Gunderson
Victoria, BC Canada
Transform high school & undergraduate education systems that support a doughnut economic model.