[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 34 (Thursday, February 26, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E493]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       INTRODUCTION OF THE TEACHING GEOGRAPHY IS FUNDAMENTAL ACT

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                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 26, 2009

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Teaching 
Geography is Fundamental Act, a bill to help ensure that all young 
people acquire the vital global knowledge they need to compete in 
today's increasingly-connected world. I thank my colleagues, 
Representatives Blunt, Walz, and Ehlers, for their leadership and hard 
work on this issue.
  Madam Speaker, our nation is facing a crisis in geographic knowledge. 
Sixty-three percent of young adults cannot locate Iraq on a map of the 
Middle East. Seventy-five percent cannot find Iran. Half cannot locate 
New York on a map of the United States.
  These statistics are emblematic of a general lack of knowledge about 
the world that is troubling in a time when the United States must 
compete in a global marketplace. We need Americans to know and 
understand the countries and cultures that are or could become our 
political and economic partners. It is unacceptable that seventy-one 
percent of young Americans do not know that the United States is the 
world's largest exporter of goods. It is unacceptable that, despite the 
fact that it is the world's largest democracy, nearly half of young 
adults do not know where India is located.
  We need to improve our children's understanding of their world both 
within and beyond our country's borders. The Teaching Geography is 
Fundamental Act will do just that. It would authorize federal funding 
to improve student achievement, increase teacher training, encourage 
education research, and develop effective instructional materials and 
strategies for geography education. It will leverage and expand support 
for geography education partnerships. And it will prepare America's 
students to move forward and succeed in a rapidly-changing, 
competitive, global economy.
  It is time to be sure that American citizens are informed citizens of 
the world. I ask my colleagues to join Congressmen Blunt, Walz, Ehlers, 
and me and support the Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act.

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