[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 35 (Thursday, March 1, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2493-S2494]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. COCHRAN (for himself Mr. Dodd, Mr. Akaka, Ms. Collins, Mr. 
        Stevens, Mr. Lott, Mr. Smith, Mr. Alexander, and Ms. Snowe):
  S. 727. 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; to 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, today, I am introducing the Teaching 
Geography is Fundamental Act. I am pleased to be joined by my friend 
from Connecticut Mr. Dodd. The purpose of this bill is to improve 
geographic literacy among K-12 students in the United States by 
supporting professional development programs for their teachers that 
are administered in institutions of higher education. The bill also 
assists States in measuring the impact of education in geography.
  Ensuring geographic literacy prepares students to be good citizens of 
both our Nation and the world. Last May, John Fahey, President of the 
National Geographic Society, stated that ``Geographic illiteracy 
impacts our economic well-being, our relationships with other nations 
and the environment, and isolates us from the world.'' When students 
understand their own environment, they can better understand the 
differences in other places, and the people who live in them. Knowledge 
of the diverse cultures, environment, and distances between States and 
countries helps our students to understand national and international 
policies, economies, societies, and political structures on a more 
global scale.
  The 2005 publication, What Works in Geography, reported that 
elementary school geography instruction significantly improves student 
achievement and proved that the integration of geography into the 
elementary school curriculum improves student literacy achievement an 
average of 5 percent. That's the good news. However, the 2006 National 
Geographic-Roper Global Geographic Literacy Survey shows that 69 
percent of elementary school principals report a decrease in time spent 
teaching geography and less than a quarter of our Nation's high school 
students take a geography course in high school. This survey shows that 
many of our high school graduates lack the basic skills to navigate our 
international economy, policies and relationships.
  To expect that Americans will be able to work successfully with the 
other people in this world, we need to be able to communicate and 
understand each other. It is a fact that we have a global marketplace, 
and that will continue to be the case. We need to be preparing our 
younger generation for global competition and ensuring that they have a 
strong base of understanding to be able to succeed. A strong base of 
geography knowledge improves those opportunities.
  The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis announced yesterday that 27.9 
percent of the U.S. GDP, that is $3.7 trillion, annually results from 
international trade. According to the CIA World Factbook of 2005, U.S. 
workers need geographic knowledge to compete in this global economy. 
Geographic knowledge is increasingly needed for U.S. businesses in 
international markets to understand such factors as physical distance, 
time zones, language differences, and cultural diversity among project 
teams.
  In addition, geospatial technology is a new and emerging career 
available to people with an extensive background in geography 
education. Professionals in

[[Page S2494]]

geospatial technology are employed in Federal Government agencies, the 
private sector and the non-profit sector, focusing on areas such as 
agriculture, archeology, ecology, land appraisal, and urban planning 
and development. In the United States, there are currently 175,000 
individuals employed in the geospatial technology industry. It is 
estimated that this industry is growing up to 14 percent per year and 
it is projected to be a $5-6 billion industry by 2010. A strong 
geography education system is a necessity for this industry's continued 
advancement.
  Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said, ``To solve most of the 
major problems facing our country today, from wiping out terrorism, to 
minimizing global environmental problems, to eliminating the scourge of 
AIDS, will require every young person to learn more about other 
regions, cultures, and languages.''
  We need to do more to ensure that the teachers responsible for the 
education of our students, from kindergarten through high school 
graduation, are prepared and trained to teach these critical skills to 
solve these problems. Over the last 15 years, the National Geographic 
Society has awarded more than $100 million in grants to educators, 
universities, geography alliances, and others for the purposes of 
advancing and improving the teaching of geography. Their models are 
successful and research shows that students who have benefitted from 
this teaching outperform other students. State geography alliances 
exist in 19 States, including Mississippi, endowed by grants from the 
society. But, their efforts alone are not enough. The bill I am 
introducing establishes a Federal commitment to enhance the education 
of our teachers, focus on geography education research, and develop 
reliable, advanced technology based classroom materials.
  In my State of Mississippi, teachers and university professors are 
making progress to increase geography education in the schools through 
additional professional training. Based at the University of 
Mississippi, over 300 geography teachers are members of the Mississippi 
Geography Alliance. Two weeks ago, the Mississippi Geography Alliance 
conducted a workshop for graduate and undergraduate students who are 
preparing to be certified to teach elementary through high school-level 
geography in our State. The workshop provided opportunities for model 
teaching sessions and discussion of best practices in the classroom.
  I hope the Senate will consider the seriousness of the need to invest 
in geography and I invite other Senators to cosponsor the Teaching 
Geography is Fundamental Act.
                                 ______