[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 31, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4072-S4073]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. COCHRAN (for himself, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Akaka, 
        Mr. Bingaman, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Wicker, and Mr. Cardin):
  S. 749. 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 U.S. by supporting 
professional development programs for their teachers that are 
administered in institutions of higher education and other educational 
institutions. This bill also assists States in measuring the impact of 
education in geography.
  Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said, ``To solve most of the 
major problems facing our county 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. The Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act has expressly identified geography as a 
core academic subject. Yet, when we review No Child Left Behind, 
geography education is the only subject without a dedicated source of 
support for educational training and innovation.
  This bill prepares students to be good citizens of both our nation 
and the world. 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, environments, and the relationships between states and 
countries helps our students to understand national and international 
policies, economies, societies, and political structures on a more 
global scale.
  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. We need to prepare our younger generation for 
global competition and ensure that they have a strong base of 
understanding to be able to succeed in the global marketplace.
  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 is 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 the 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 
needed to navigate our international economy, policies, and 
relationships. According to statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Economic 
Analysis, 30 percent of the annual U.S. GDP, that is 4.3 trillion 
dollars, 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 an emerging and innovative 
career available to people with strong geography education. 
Professionals in geospatial technology are employed in Federal 
Government agencies, the private sector, and the non-profit sector. 
These professionals focus on areas such as agriculture, archeology, 
ecology, land appraisal, and urban planning and development. According 
to the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, the information 
gathering necessary to protect critical infrastructure has resulted in 
an enormous increase in the demand for geospatial skills and jobs. A 
strong geography education system is a necessity for this industry's 
continued advancement. The U.S. Department of Labor has identified 
geospatial technologies as one of the most important high-growth 
industries, with the market growing at an annual rate of 35 percent. 
These are high-tech, high-wage jobs in which America can and must 
compete.

[[Page S4073]]

  It has been both the private and non-profit sectors working to ensure 
that the critical skills and knowledge provided by geography education 
are provided to our schools. Over the last 20 years, the National 
Geographic Society has awarded more than $100 million in grants to 
educators, universities, State geographic 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 out-perform other students. In all 50 
States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, there are state 
geographic alliances and partnerships between higher education and K-12 
school systems. Thirty States, including Mississippi and the District 
of Columbia, are endowed by grants from the National Geographic 
Society. But these efforts alone are not enough. The bill I am 
introducing establishes a Federal commitment to enhance the education 
of our teachers, focuses on geography education research, and develops 
reliable, advanced technology-based classroom resources. A 5 year, 
$15,000,000 grant program would be created under the bill to achieve 
these objectives.
  In my State of Mississippi, teachers and university professors are 
making progress to increase geography education in the schools through 
additional professional training. To date, there are 555 members of the 
Mississippi Geographic Alliance who teach geography. Last year, the 
Mississippi Geographic Alliance conducted a statewide workshop titled 
Introductory World Geography to help prepare teachers to meet the 
State's new graduation requirement in geography. The Alliance conducted 
two, week-long residential summer institutes that provided grade-
specific geography content and teaching strategies; provided a field-
based local Mississippi geography workshop; and conducted two workshops 
that introduce pre-service teachers to the scope of modern geography 
and effective geography teaching strategies.
  I hope the Senate will consider the serious need to invest in 
geography, and I invite other Senators to cosponsor the Teaching 
Geography is Fundamental Act.
                                 ______