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K-12 education, that is, education from kindergarten through high school, also offers opportunities for expanding ESSE. Primary and secondary levels provide both the greatest potential for the future of Earth system scientists and the greatest need in terms of overall science education. As Earth system science programs are taught at the pre-college level, more students will arrive to post-secondary education prepared for advanced scientific preparation, either to pursue careers in the sciences, or to become a scientifically literate member of society. Some ESSE partners have already interacted with the K-12 system by training teachers and adapting material for the K-12 curriculum (see  Exemplary Learning Modules).  One particularly promising trend is greater societal interest in providing challenging high school experiences in STEM subjects in which students work with researchers in governments, businesses and universities.

More work is needed in engaging communities and the general public in scientific understanding that may include policy-relevant information.  The devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 is but one example of societal relevance of earth system science. (See Johnson, JGE 2006 below.) Forecasting for Hurricane Katrina was accurate.  Society could make much more effective use of hurricane risk information to shape policies to reduce such impacts.  Similarly, it would be beneficial to engage the public with information from international projects, such as the Earth System Science Partnership that conducts joint studies on global sustainability related to food, water, carbon and human health.  (See Research Programs and Data Centers.)