[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 822 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 822

 To improve and expand geographic literacy among kindergarten through 
   grade 12 students in the United States by improving professional 
development programs for kindergarten through grade 12 teachers offered 
               through institutions of higher education.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 26, 2013

 Mr. Van Hollen (for himself, Mr. Petri, and Mr. Walz) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
                             the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To improve and expand geographic literacy among kindergarten through 
   grade 12 students in the United States by improving professional 
development programs for kindergarten through grade 12 teachers offered 
               through institutions of higher education.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Teaching Geography is Fundamental 
Act''.

SEC. 2. GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION.

    Title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1021 et 
seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

                     ``PART D--GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

``SEC. 271. FINDINGS.

    ``Congress makes the following findings:
            ``(1) The economic stature and competitiveness of the 
        United States requires increasingly sophisticated levels of 
        geographic knowledge and mastery of geographic tools.
            ``(2) It is estimated that the United States geospatial 
        industry generated $73,000,000,000 in revenue last year, with 
        half a million high-wage jobs, and that the industry is growing 
        at between 25-30 percent per year. This burgeoning industry 
        will not be able to maximize its growth potential without a 
        sustained Federal investment in geography education.
            ``(3) A 2012 report by a Council on Foreign Relations task 
        force, United States Education Reform and National Security, 
        states that the lack of global awareness among American 
        citizens increasingly jeopardizes their ability to interact 
        with local and global peers or participate meaningfully in 
        business, diplomatic, and military situations.
            ``(4) Geographic literacy is essential to a well prepared 
        citizenry in the 21st century because geographic factors assume 
        greater importance as the world's economies, societies, and 
        political structures grow more global in scale.
            ``(5) The 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress 
        in geography shows that fewer than 30 percent of students 
        tested in grades four, eight, and twelve scored at grade-level 
        or above. These scores have stayed the same or gotten worse 
        since the last time the test was administered in 2001.
            ``(6) The National Academy of Sciences urged creation of a 
        national program to improve the geographic competence of the 
        United States general population and the school age population.
            ``(7) Geography is one of the `core academic subjects' 
        defined under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
            ``(8) A recent National Geographic Society survey found 
        that all 50 States and the District of Columbia recognize 
        geography in their curricula or content standards, and an 
        increasing number require geography for graduation and include 
        geography in mandated statewide assessments.
            ``(9) Seven of ten educators responding to a National 
        Geographic survey felt their professional development 
        opportunities in geography were inadequate and half believed 
        their schools had inadequate basic materials for teaching 
        geography.
            ``(10) The National Geographic Society has spent more than 
        25 years pioneering an extraordinarily effective national 
        program for improving the teaching of geography by engaging 
        university faculty, geographers, and highly trained teachers in 
        State Geographic Alliances dedicated to providing high-quality 
        professional development opportunities for kindergarten through 
        grade 12 teachers.
            ``(11) More than 80 colleges and universities in all 50 
        States have received grants from the National Geographic 
        Society to support State Geographic Alliances and their 
        professional development programs. Alliance-trained 
        kindergarten through grade 12 teachers and their higher 
        education partners conduct workshops, develop localized 
        teaching materials, and facilitate communication among 
        thousands of teachers whose responsibilities include teaching 
        of geography in various formats and grade levels.
            ``(12) A study by Mid-continent Research for Education and 
        Learning that assessed student academic achievement in 
        geography on the National Assessment of Educational Progress 
        showed that students taught by Alliance-trained teachers out-
        performed other students by almost 10 percent.
            ``(13) We live in a changing world with multiple and 
        evolving threats to national security, including terrorism, 
        asymmetrical warfare, and social unrest. As the nature of the 
        threat evolves, so do the tools, knowledge, and skills needed 
        to respond. A 2013 National Academies report states that it is 
        likely that qualified Geography Information Systems and remote 
        sensing experts are already hard to find. Long before 2030, 
        competition and a small number of graduates will likely result 
        in shortages in all emerging areas and in the core areas of 
        cartography, photogammetry, and geodesy.

``SEC. 272. PURPOSES AND OBJECTIVES.

    ``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this part is to promote geographic 
literacy and improved understanding of global cultures among 
kindergarten through grade 12 students by expanding programs that 
employ the geographic knowledge and expertise of faculty members in 
institutions of higher education for the benefit of kindergarten 
through grade 12 teachers and to otherwise advance geographic literacy.
    ``(b) Objectives.--The objectives of this part are the following:
            ``(1) To increase students knowledge of, and achievement 
        in, standards-based geography to enable the students to become 
        better informed and more productive citizens.
            ``(2) To increase the number of highly qualified teachers 
        of United States and world geography and to enable the teachers 
        to improve student mastery of geographic principles and 
        practical applications of those principles.
            ``(3) To encourage geographic education research, to 
        develop and disseminate effective instructional materials, and 
        to promote replication of best practices and exemplary programs 
        that foster geographic literacy.
            ``(4) To assist States in measuring the impact of education 
        in geography.
            ``(5) To leverage and expand private and public support for 
        geography education partnerships at national, State, and local 
        levels.

``SEC. 273. GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

    ``The Secretary is authorized to award a grant to a national 
nonprofit educational organization or a consortium of organizations 
(hereafter in this part referred to as the `grantee') that has as its 
primary purpose the improvement of the quality of student understanding 
of geography through effective teaching of geography in the Nation's 
classrooms.

``SEC. 274. USE OF FUNDS.

    ``(a) Direct Activities.--The grantee shall use not more than 25 
percent of the funds made available through the grant for a fiscal 
year--
            ``(1) to strengthen and expand the grantee's relationships 
        with institutions of higher education and with State 
        educational agencies and local educational agencies and other 
        public and private organizations with a commitment to geography 
        education and the benefits of geography education;
            ``(2) to support and promote research-based training of 
        teachers of geography and related disciplines in kindergarten 
        through grade 12 as a means of broadening student knowledge of 
        the world, including the dissemination of information on 
        effective practices and research findings concerning the 
        teaching of geography;
            ``(3) to support research on effective geography teaching 
        practices and the development of assessment instruments and 
        strategies to document student understanding of geography;
            ``(4) to convene national conferences on geography 
        education to assess the current state of geographic literacy 
        and to identify strategies for improvement; and
            ``(5) to develop and disseminate appropriate research-based 
        materials to foster geographic literacy.
    ``(b) Subgrants.--
            ``(1) In general.--The grantee shall use not more than 75 
        percent of the funds made available through the grant for a 
        fiscal year to award subgrants to eligible recipients.
            ``(2) Eligible recipient defined.--In this part the term 
        `eligible recipient' means an institution of higher education 
        associated with--
                    ``(A) a State geographic alliance;
                    ``(B) a nonprofit educational organization;
                    ``(C) a State educational agency or local 
                educational agency; or
                    ``(D) a partnership between or among an alliance, 
                organization, or agency described in subparagraph (A), 
                (B) or (C).
            ``(3) Subgrant uses of funds.--Eligible recipients shall 
        use the subgrant funds for 1 or more of the following purposes:
                    ``(A) Conducting teacher training programs that use 
                effective and research-based approaches to the teaching 
                of geography at the kindergarten through grade 12 
                level.
                    ``(B) Applying Geographic Information System (GIS) 
                or other geographic technological tools to the teaching 
                of geography.
                    ``(C) Applying Internet and other distance learning 
                technology to the teaching of geography or to the 
                continuing education of teachers.
                    ``(D) Promoting rigorous academic standards and 
                assessment techniques to guide and measure student 
                performance in geography.
                    ``(E) Promoting research in geography education, 
                emphasizing research that leads to improving student 
                achievement.
                    ``(F) Carrying out local, field-based activities 
                for teachers and students to improve their knowledge of 
                the concepts and tools of geography while enhancing 
                understanding of their home region.
                    ``(G) Promoting comparative studies of world 
                cultures, economies, and environments.
                    ``(H) Encouraging replication of best practices and 
                model programs to promote geographic literacy.
                    ``(I) Developing and disseminating effective, 
                research-based geography learning materials.
                    ``(J) Convening State-based conferences to assess 
                the state of geographic literacy and to identify 
                strategies for improvement.

``SEC. 275. APPLICATIONS.

    ``(a) Grantee Applications.--To be eligible to receive a grant 
under this part, a grantee shall submit to the Secretary an application 
at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as 
the Secretary may require.
    ``(b) Eligible Recipient Applications.--
            ``(1) Submission.--To be eligible to receive a subgrant 
        under this part, an eligible recipient shall submit an 
        application to a grantee at such time, in such manner and 
        accompanied by such information as the grantee may require.
            ``(2) Review.--
                    ``(A) In general.--A grantee shall invite 
                individuals described in subparagraph (B) to review all 
                applications from eligible recipients for a subgrant 
                under this section and to make recommendations to the 
                grantee regarding the approval of the applications.
                    ``(B) Reviewers.--The individuals referred to in 
                subparagraph (A) are the following:
                            ``(i) Leaders in the field of geography 
                        education.
                            ``(ii) Such other individuals as the 
                        grantee may determine are necessary or 
                        desirable.

``SEC. 276. REQUIREMENTS.

    ``(a) Administrative Costs.--A grantee receiving a grant under this 
part for a fiscal year, and each eligible recipient receiving a 
subgrant under this part for a fiscal year, may use not more than 15 
percent of the funds made available through the grant or subgrant, 
respectively, for administrative costs.
    ``(b) Matching Requirements.--
            ``(1) In general.--In order to be eligible to receive a 
        subgrant under this part an eligible recipient shall agree in 
        the application submitted under section 275(b) to provide 
        matching funds towards the costs of the activities assisted 
        under the subgrant.
            ``(2) Amount.--An eligible recipient shall provide matching 
        funds in an amount equal to 20 percent of the subgrant funds 
        received under this part for the second and each succeeding 
        fiscal year for which subgrant payments are made.
            ``(3) Source of matching funds.--Matching funds may be 
        provided in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, including 
        facilities, staffing salaries, and educational materials.

``SEC. 277. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part 
$15,000,000 for fiscal year 2014 and each of the 4 succeeding fiscal 
years.''.
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