[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 24 (Thursday, February 14, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S785-S787]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. COCHRAN (for himself and Ms. Mikulski):
  S. 370. 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 Maryland, Ms. Mikulski. The purpose of this bill is to improve 
geographic literacy among K-12 students in the United States by 
supporting professional development programs administered by 
institutions of higher education for K-12 teachers. The bill also 
assists states in measuring the impact of geography education.
  Ensuring geographic literacy prepares students to be good citizens of 
both our nation and the world. John Fahey, Chairman and CEO of the 
National Geographic Society, once 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 distances between states and 
countries helps our students to understand national and international 
policies, economies, societies and political structures on a global 
scale.
  To expect that Americans will be able to work successfully with other 
people around the world, we need to be able to communicate and 
understand each other. It is a fact that we have a global marketplace, 
and we need to be preparing our younger generation for competition in 
the international economy. A strong base of geographic knowledge 
improves these opportunities.
  In a report prepared for leading Internet company, Google, the study 
estimated that geography service industries generate up to $270 billion 
every year. Geographic knowledge is increasingly needed for U.S. 
businesses in electronic mapping, satellite imagery, and location-based 
navigation to understand such factors as physical distance, time zones, 
language differences and cultural diversity among project teams.
  Additionally, geospatial technology is an emerging career field 
available to people with an extensive background in geography 
education. Professionals in geospatial technology are employed in 
federal government agencies, the private sector and the non-profit 
sector and focus on areas such as agriculture, archeology, ecology, 
land appraisal and urban planning and development. It is important to 
improve and expand geography education so that students in the United 
States can attain the necessary expertise to fill and retain the 
estimated 70,000 new skilled jobs that are becoming available each year 
in the geospatial technology industry.
  Former Secretary of State Colin Powell once 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 trained and prepared 
to teach the critical skills necessary 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 benefited from this teaching outperform other 
students. State geography alliances exist in 26 States and the District 
of Columbia, endowed by grants from the Society. But, their efforts 
alone are not enough.
  In my home State of Mississippi, teachers and university professors 
are making progress to increase geography education in schools through 
additional professional training. Based at the University of 
Mississippi, hundreds of geography teachers are members of the 
Mississippi Geography Alliance. The Mississippi Geography Alliance 
conducts regular workshops for graduate and undergraduate students who 
are preparing to be certified to teach elementary through high school-
level geography in our State. These workshops have provided 
opportunities for model teaching sessions and discussion of best 
practices in the classroom.
  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 materials. 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.

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