Abstract
The National Geographic Society's effort to improve American geography education began in the mid-1980s, fueled by surveys and other evidence of an alarming lack of geographic knowledge among young people. The Geography Education Program has been a multi-pronged campaign that supports, trains, and empowers teachers to make a difference in their own states. It is based on five key strategies: 1) a grassroots network of state alliances of teachers, geography professors, and educational administrators; 2) teacher training at Society- and alliance-sponsored institutes and workshops; 3) development of innovative educational materials; 4) outreach to decision-makers; and 5) increasing public awareness through such vehicles as Geography Awareness Week and the National Geography Bee. The Society also has enlisted other geography organizations, such as the Association of American Geographers, to further their mutual goal. After 10 years of effort and 80 million-dollars spent, the Society is encouraged by many signs of progress, the most significant of which was the October 1994 publication of Geography for Life, National Geography Standards 1994. Its Chairman and President, Gilbert M. Grosvenor, has pledged to continue the campaign until geography illiteracy is eradicated.
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