Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a geography education grant program under title II (Teacher Quality Enhancement).
Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to a national nonprofit education organization or consortium, with 75% to be used for matching subgrants to institutions of higher education associated with state geographic alliances, nonprofit educational organizations, or state or local educational agencies.
Requires program participants to use their grants and subgrants to enhance the geographic literacy of students in kindergarten through grade 12 by supporting specified activities, including: (1) educational research; (2) teacher training; (3) the development of effective teaching tools and learning materials; (4) the application of rigorous academic standards and assessment techniques; (5) comparative studies of world cultures, economies, and environments; and (6) the exchange of information regarding the state of geographic literacy and strategies for its improvement.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 370 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 370
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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 14, 2013
Mr. Cochran (for himself and Ms. Mikulski) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
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.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Teaching Geography Is Fundamental
Act''.
SEC. 2. GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION.
Title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1021 et
seq.) is amended--
(1) by redesignating part C (20 U.S.C. 1041) as part D;
(2) by redesignating section 261 (20 U.S.C. 1041) as
section 291; and
(3) by inserting after part B (20 U.S.C. 1031 et seq.) the
following:
``PART C--GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION
``SEC. 261. FINDINGS.
``Congress makes the following findings:
``(1) The economic stature and competitiveness of the
United States requires increasingly sophisticated levels of
geographic knowledge and mastery of geographic tools.
``(2) It is estimated that the United States geospatial
industry generated $73,000,000,000 in revenue last year, with
500,000 high-wage jobs and that the industry is growing at
between 25-30 percent per year. This burgeoning industry will
not be able to maximize its growth potential without a
sustained Federal investment in geography education.
``(3) A 2012 report by a Council on Foreign Relations task
force, U.S. Education Reform and National Security, states that
the lack of global awareness among United States citizens
increasingly jeopardizes their ability to interact with local
and global peers, or participate meaningfully in business,
diplomatic, and military situations.
``(4) Geographic literacy is essential to a well prepared
citizenry in the 21st century because geographic factors assume
greater importance as the world's economies, societies, and
political structures grow more global in scale.
``(5) The 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress
in geography shows that fewer than 30 percent of students
tested in grades 4, 8, and 12 scored at grade-level or above.
These scores have stayed the same or gotten worse, since the
last time the test was administered in 2001.
``(6) The National Academy of Sciences urged creation of a
national program to improve the geographic competence of the
United States general population and the school age population.
``(7) Geography is one of the `core academic subjects'
defined under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965.
``(8) A recent National Geographic Society survey found
that all 50 States and the District of Columbia recognize
geography in their curricula or content standards, and an
increasing number require geography for graduation and include
geography in mandated statewide assessments.
``(9) Seven of 10 educators responding to a National
Geographic survey felt their professional development
opportunities in geography were inadequate and half believed
their schools had inadequate basic materials for teaching
geography.
``(10) The National Geographic Society has spent more than
25 years pioneering an extraordinarily effective national
program for improving the teaching of geography by engaging
university faculty geographers and highly trained teachers in
State Geographic Alliances dedicated to providing high-quality
professional development opportunities for kindergarten through
grade 12 teachers.
``(11) More than 80 colleges and universities in all 50
States have received grants from the National Geographic
Society to support State Geographic Alliances and their
professional development programs. Alliance-trained
kindergarten through grade 12 teachers and their higher
education partners conduct workshops, develop localized
teaching materials, and facilitate communication among
thousands of teachers whose responsibilities include teaching
of geography in various formats and grade levels.
``(12) A study by Mid-continent Research for Education and
Learning that assessed student academic achievement in
geography on the National Assessment of Educational Progress
showed that students taught by Alliance-trained teachers
outperformed other students by almost 10 percent.
``(13) We live in a changing world with multiple and
evolving threats to national security, including terrorism,
asymmetrical warfare, and social unrest. As the nature of the
threat evolves, so do the tools, knowledge, and skills needed
to respond. A 2013 National Academies report states that it is
likely that qualified GIS (Geography Information Systems) and
remote sensing experts are already hard to find. Long before
2030, competition and a small number of graduates will likely
result in shortages in all emerging areas and in the core areas
of cartography, photogrammetry, and geodesy.
``SEC. 262. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES.
``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this part is to--
``(1) promote geographic literacy and improved
understanding of global cultures among kindergarten through
grade 12 students by expanding programs that employ the
geographic knowledge and expertise of faculty members in
institutions of higher education for the benefit of
kindergarten through grade 12 teachers; and
``(2) otherwise advance geographic literacy.
``(b) Objectives.--The objectives of this part are the following:
``(1) To increase students' knowledge of, and achievement
in, standards-based geography to enable the students to become
better informed and more productive citizens.
``(2) To increase the number of highly qualified teachers
of United States and world geography and to enable the
teachers--
``(A) to improve student mastery of geographic
principles; and
``(B) to increase practical applications of those
principles.
``(3) To encourage geographic education research, to
develop and disseminate effective instructional materials, and
to promote replication of best practices and exemplary programs
that foster geographic literacy.
``(4) To assist States in measuring the impact of education
in geography.
``(5) To leverage and expand private and public support for
geography education partnerships at national, State, and local
levels.
``SEC. 263. GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized to award a grant to
a national nonprofit education organization or a consortium of national
nonprofit education organizations (referred to in this part as an
`eligible entity') that has as its primary purpose the improvement of
the quality of student understanding of geography through effective
teaching of geography in the Nation's classrooms.
``(b) Application.--An eligible entity that desires a grant under
this part shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in
such manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may
require.
``SEC. 264. USE OF FUNDS.
``(a) Direct Activities.--An eligible entity that receives a grant
under this part shall use not more than 25 percent of the funds made
available through the grant for a fiscal year to--
``(1) strengthen and expand the eligible entity's
relationships with institutions of higher education and with
State and local agencies and other public and private
organizations with a commitment to geography education and the
benefits of geography education;
``(2) support and promote research-based training of
teachers of geography and related disciplines in kindergarten
through grade 12 as a means of broadening student knowledge of
the world, including the dissemination of information on
effective practices and research findings concerning the
teaching of geography;
``(3) support research on effective geography teaching
practices and the development of assessment instruments and
strategies to document student understanding of geography;
``(4) convene national conferences on geography education
to assess the current State of geographic literacy and to
identify strategies for improvement; and
``(5) develop and disseminate appropriate research-based
materials to foster geographic literacy.
``(b) Subgrants.--
``(1) In general.--An eligible entity that receives a grant
under this part shall use not more than 75 percent of the funds
made available through the grant for a fiscal year to award
subgrants to eligible recipients.
``(2) Eligible recipient defined.--In this part, the term
`eligible recipient' means an institution of higher education
associated with--
``(A) a State geographic alliance;
``(B) a nonprofit educational organization;
``(C) a State educational agency or local
educational agency; or
``(D) a partnership between or among an alliance,
organization, or agency described in subparagraph (A),
(B) or (C).
``(3) Eligible recipient applications.--
``(A) Submission.--An eligible recipient that
desires to receive a subgrant under this part shall
submit an application to the eligible entity at such
time, in such manner, and accompanied by such
information as the eligible entity may require.
``(B) Review.--
``(i) In general.--The eligible entity
shall invite individuals described in clause
(ii) to review all applications from eligible
recipients for a subgrant under this part and
to make recommendations to the eligible entity
regarding the approval of the applications.
``(ii) Reviewers.--The individuals the
eligible entity shall invite to review
applications are the following:
``(I) Leaders in the field of
geography education.
``(II) Such other individuals as
the eligible entity may determine are
necessary or desirable.
``(4) Subgrant uses of funds.--An eligible recipient that
receives a subgrant under this part shall use the subgrant
funds for 1 or more of the following activities:
``(A) Conducting teacher training programs that use
effective and research-based approaches to the teaching
of geography at the kindergarten through grade 12
level.
``(B) Applying Geographic Information System (GIS)
or other geographic technological tools to the teaching
of geography.
``(C) Applying Internet and other distance learning
technology to the teaching of geography or to the
continuing education of teachers.
``(D) Promoting rigorous academic standards and
assessment techniques to guide and measure student
performance in geography.
``(E) Promoting research in geography education,
emphasizing research that leads to improving student
achievement.
``(F) Carrying out local, field-based activities
for teachers and students to improve their knowledge of
the concepts and tools of geography while enhancing
understanding of their home region.
``(G) Promoting comparative studies of world
cultures, economies, and environments.
``(H) Encouraging replication of best practices and
model programs to promote geographic literacy.
``(I) Developing and disseminating effective,
research-based geography learning materials.
``(J) Convening State-based conferences to assess
the state of geographic literacy and to identify
strategies for improvement.
``(5) Matching requirements.--
``(A) In general.--In order to be eligible to
receive a subgrant under this part, an eligible
recipient shall provide assurances in the application
submitted under paragraph (3) to provide matching funds
as described in subparagraph (B) towards the costs of
the activities assisted under the subgrant.
``(B) Amount.--An eligible recipient shall provide
matching funds in an amount equal to 20 percent of the
subgrant funds received under this part for the second
and each succeeding fiscal year for which subgrant
funds are received.
``(C) Source of matching funds.--Matching funds may
be provided in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated,
including facilities, staffing salaries, and
educational materials.
``SEC. 265. ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.
``An eligible entity that receives a grant under this part for a
fiscal year, and each eligible recipient receiving a subgrant under
this part for a fiscal year, may use not more than 15 percent of the
funds made available through the grant or subgrant, respectively, for
administrative costs.
``SEC. 266. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part
$15,000,000 for fiscal year 2014 and each of the 4 succeeding fiscal
years.''.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S786)
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Llama 3.2 · runs locally in your browser
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line