Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - March 31, 2009)

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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.

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.

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