Education Foundation Policy Initiative

What You Can Do To Help

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Informal Educators

Write to Your Senator or Representative
Ask them to support the legislation in Congress called the Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act, which allocates money to train educators how to teach geography.

Member of Congress contact information:

http://www.house.gov/
http://www.senate.gov/

Make the case for the importance of geography education. Use Message Points for Letters/Meetings with Legislators as a starting point.
Click on Current List of TGIF sponsors (updated November 2010) to find out if your member of Congress has or has not co-sponsored the TGIF. If they HAVE, please thank them for supporting geography education. If they HAVE NOT, ask them to sign on as a co-sponsor of this important bill.

Find Out if Your School is Geography-Ready

Is Your School Geography Ready Assessment Tool: Complete this survey to see how geography-friendly your school is and talk to school leaders, parents, teachers, or educational organizations about steps you can take to increase geography awareness.

Learn More About Geography Education Legislation in Congress

A Summary of NCLB Appropriations for Core Subjects: A chart showing the amounts recommended and appropriated for "core subjects" under the No Child Left Behind Act from 2002-2009.
GovTrack.us: A free online service providing information on the status of federal legislation, voting records, and other congressional data from official sources.
WashingtonWatch.com: A free online service that tracks proposed legislation and analyzes its financial impact.

Make the Case for Geography Education

Message Points for Letters/Meetings with Legislators: Key message points regarding why Congress needs to support the Teaching Geography Is Fundamental Act (TGIF).
Key Geography Education Facts: A summary of recent data on the geographic literacy of U.S. students and the status of geography in education.
High Growth Industry Profile: Geospatial Technology: An industry profile of the Geospatial Technology sector provided by the U.S. Department of Labor.
McREL Study: A nationwide study showing that teacher professional development results in significant improvement in student achievement in geography.
Repositioning Geography Education: An EdWeek editorial addressing geography’s place in the American educational system and the need for geography education reform.
Geo-Literacy: Preparation for Far Reaching Decisions: A white paper making the case for a geographically literate citizenry.
Final Report: National Geographic-Roper Public Affairs 2006 Geographic Literacy Survey: A survey of 18- to 24-year old recent graduates in the continental United States that assesses their geographic knowledge. Survey summary: National Geographic-Roper Public Affairs 2006 Geographic Literacy Survey Highlights