Federal

NSF Grant to Promote Improved Geographic Literacy

By Erik W. Robelen — June 16, 2011 1 min read
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The National Science Foundation is committing $2.2 million to support the development of a “road map” for large-scale improvement of K-12 education in the geographical sciences.

The project will bring together leading experts in geography, education, and research to create a set of reports intended to guide efforts to ramp up student knowledge of geography over the next decade, according to a press release from the National Geographic Societies, one of four institutions involved in the initiative.

“Geographic literacy is an important—but often overlooked—part of a complete science education program,” said Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., in the press release.

“By creating a shared agenda for improving geographic education, we hope to avoid the uncoordinated and competing efforts that often undermine educational reform efforts,” Daniel Edelson, the vice president for education at National Geographic and the principal investigator for the project, said in the release.

Other participants in the grant include the Association of American Geographers, the American Geographical Society, and the National Council for Geographic Education.

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A version of this news article first appeared in the Curriculum Matters blog.