GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION IN IDAHO: SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

Promoting Geographic Education and Knowledge in Idaho: Situational Analysis

Michael L. Foushee
University of Idaho
23 March, 2016

GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION IN IDAHO: SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

General Overview:

Geographic proficiency and knowledge has been lacking in the Unites States for many years.
This is partly due to a widespread deficiency of adequate education and tools for people to
learn about geography (Downs et. al., 1988). While the education system can most easily be
blamed for a lack of geographic knowledge in the United States, other factors are at play as
well. Social, demographic, and political factors may all be contributing to this problem that is
both widespread and deeply rooted in Americas modern cultural tapestry. The United States
has a population that routinely fails to demonstrate even satisfactory geographic knowledge,
especially when compared to European countries such as Sweden and Germany (National
Geographic and Roper, 2002). Numerous surveys and studies exist, both in mass media and
government sources, that point to a stagnant or even diminishing knowledge of geography in
America. Few programs exist in the state of Idaho for children to explore geography outside of
the classroom. Additionally, geography is only offered as a class for students in the 8th grade
(Idaho State Department of Education, 2009), and is placed at a lower priority than other
subjects such as reading, math, and science.

Creating programs in Idaho to increase geographic education at the state and local levels will
provide a foundation for addressing decreasing geographic proficiency in this state and across
the country. New technology such as geographic information systems (GIS) or Google Earth can
be utilized in the classroom to enhance learning and increase student enthusiasm for the study
of geography. Additionally, workshops and seminars can provide continuing education for social
studies teachers. These resources will help to improve teachers knowledge of the subject,
introduce them to new tools and learning exercises for use with students, and help them to feel
more confident teaching geography in the classroom. Increased education funding for
geography classes will allow educators and administrators to purchase new technology that can
enhance student geographic proficiency. A combination of federal, state, municipal, and private
funding sources may be available to finance these geographic education programs to ensure
their longevity. Legislative action may also need to be taken to provide for the creation of these

GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION IN IDAHO: SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

programs and to protect them against budget cuts or other actions that could inhibit their longterm productive potential.

Background:

The trend of poor geographic proficiency in the United States is heavily supported by media
stories, studies, and government reports. Articles abound from sources such as CNN and U.S.
News and World Report that highlight this issue (cf. Study: Geography Greek to Young
Americans, 2006; Camera, 2015). Studies and official reports, however, can give us a more
precise picture of the underlying causes of this problem. A recent study by the National
Geographic Education Foundation discovered that the average adult ages 18-24 correctly
answered only 54% of the basic geographic questions on a national survey (National
Geographic and Roper, 2006). Many of these geographic questions are easily recognizable from
exposure in current events and should hold a certain importance in modern society. The same
survey found 48% of the young adults answered that India is a Muslim country, not Hindu
(National Geographic and Roper, 2006). This is a very important distinction to many people and
highlights how a lack of geographic knowledge could offend members of another culture and
inhibit positive cultural exchange in the modern world.

Figure 1. Trends in geography assessment results for grades 4, 8, 12

(National Center for Education Statistics, 2011)

GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION IN IDAHO: SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

The numbers are not more encouraging for Americas children. Only 21% of U.S. 4 th graders,
27% of 8th graders, and 20% of 12th graders were geographically proficient, according to a 2010
U.S. Department of Education assessment, shown in Figure 1 (NCES, 2011). The scores for 4th
graders have only slightly improved since that same assessment was taken in 1991 and 2001.
The scores for 8th graders showed no improvement at all. 12th graders showed a decrease in
their geographic scores since 1991. The assessments for all three grade levels point to a
distressing trend in geographic education in America. There is a clear movement toward
stagnating, or worse, decreasing levels of geographic knowledge in the United States. This
decreasing knowledge is at odds with common sense expectations that geographic knowledge
would actually increase with advances in technology such as the internet, Google Earth, GIS,
and other interactive geographic tools.

A lack of access to sufficient geographic education and tools in the United States school system,
coupled with inadequate funding for geographic education programs, may be a cause for this
downward trend in geographic proficiency. According to a 2015 report by the Government
Accountability Office, teachers reported that they devoted much less time and resources to
teaching geography compared to other subjects (GAO, 2015). Subjects such as reading, math,
and science are given a higher priority
Figure 2. Federal funding for geography, 2002-2012

than geography because they are the

focus of national and state-wide testing.
Over half of 8th grade social studies
teachers reported that 10 percent or less
of their instruction time is spent teaching
geography (GAO, 2015). The No Child Left
Behind act of 2001 included no provision
for the funding of geography education in
K-12 classrooms. In fact, from 2002
through 2012, geography as an academic

(Education Foundation Policy Initiative, The National Geographic

Education Foundation)

GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION IN IDAHO: SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

subject received no federal funding whatsoever (Figure 2).

Another study conducted in 2013 found that many social studies teachers lack sufficient
geographic education to feel confident teaching the subject in K-12 classrooms (Schell, Mohan,
and The Instructional Materials and Professional Development Committee, 2013). Some
teachers had never even taken a geography class in college. The study also found that
classroom and teaching materials have fallen far behind current geographic technology. Print
textbooks and paper maps are still widely used when more exciting technology is available.
Often, student assessment in geography merely consists of labeling maps and memorizing
information (Schell et al., 2013).

These factors may have contributed to a common misperception of geography as a simple

memorization exercise instead of a rich and rewarding educational experience. Present-day
adults who took geography years ago in elementary school did not have access to modern
technology such as the internet and GIS. For them, the study of geography may indeed have
consisted of labeling maps and memorizing the capitals of U.S. States. The entire set of tools
and technology available to teach geography has dramatically changed in recent years,
however, and K-12 classrooms must catch up to the pace. Exciting new learning opportunities
await Americas children if we invest sufficient time and resources into providing the proper
tools and programs to teach 21st-Century geography.

Previous Efforts:
Some organizations have already launched efforts to further geographic education in the
United States. An initiative by the National Geographic Society currently funds the Network of
Alliances for Geographic Education in all 50 states (National Geographic, 2012). The status of
the geographic alliance in each state varies widely, however. There is a noticeable inequality in
funding and program availability between populous, wealthy states and those with smaller
populations and lower education budgets. For the state of Idaho, the Idaho Geographic
Education and Outreach website is underwhelming and has not been updated since 2013. The

GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION IN IDAHO: SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

website was only active during the years 2012-2013 (IGEO, n.d.). Many of the news bulletins
and educational opportunities published on the Idaho website were focused on national news
or educational trips to different countries.

Furthermore, the Idaho website was created using a free personal website creation tool,
WordPress, which may have a negative effect on public opinion towards the site (Flanagin and
Metzger, 2007). An official-looking state website may have increased traffic, though budgetary
constraints likely ruled this out as an option. These examples point to a need for better funding
and commitment to continued geographic education programs in Idaho. Additionally, future
geographic educational trips should primarily focus on in-state or regional opportunities to
increase the financial accessibility of geographic education to more Idaho families.

Some geographic education programs in other states have shown potential, such as the
GeoMath and GeoLiteracy programs in Arizona. These programs were developed by the Arizona
Geographic Alliance as a way to counteract decreased education funding for geography after
the passage of the No Child Left Behind act (Hinde and Ekiss, 2005). The programs aimed to
integrate geography with the more widely taught subjects of math and language arts. By
integrating geography with these other subjects, teachers were more likely to include
geography in classroom learning. This integration also created opportunities for different
approaches to learning both subjects. For example, students in the GeoMath program were
taught about the shapes and geometry of classroom furniture, while at the same time placing
those shapes in their correct geographic location on a map of the classroom. Integrative
programs such as GeoMath and GeoLiteracy tend to show high success rates. This is in large
part because they do not require teachers to have an educational background in geography and
because they allow geographic instruction to be funded by other classroom subjects (Hinde and
Ekiss, 2005).

In 2015, Congress passed legislation to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act (ESEA), previously known as No Child Left Behind, and included provisions for a geography

GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION IN IDAHO: SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

grant program. This reauthorization, titled Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), specified
geography as a core subject in K-12 academic instruction (Civic Impulse, 2016). The bill
authorized states to grant funds to local educational institutions for educational activities,
including geography activities. Though more work remains to be done to promote geographic
education in the United States, the bill marked a step forward and ended an era in which there
was no federal funding for geography (refer to Figure 2).

Scope and Urgency:

Scope:
The scope of this issue is very broad and encompasses every person in the United States.
Everyone in society can benefit from a better understanding of the world through maps and
geography. Inadequate geographic knowledge is a problem requiring particular attention in
Idaho, as there is a severe lack of programs, funding, and commitment to increasing geographic
education in the state. Children in grades K-12 are perhaps the most affected by this problem,
as it is their geographic education and their future that is at risk. A lack of geographic
proficiency immediately puts Americas children at a global disadvantage and will continue to
affect them as they grow up and join the workforce. To a lesser degree, adults are affected and
have been affected by this problem for many years. Inadequate educational tools and methods
in previous decades may have contributed to common misperceptions about geography among
adults today. Additionally, this may be a contributing factor to the general lack of commitment
to fix the deficiency of geographic education for Americas children. Among adults, those ages
25-55 are the most directly affected, as this age group is generally the most likely to have
children under age 18 living with them (Vespa, Lewis, and Kreider, 2013).

Urgency:
A firm grasp of geographic knowledge is important in a rapidly globalizing world. Many choices
in everyday life are influenced by individual geographic knowledge. Rapidly advancing
geographic technology such as GIS and satellite-based systems are at the forefront of business,

GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION IN IDAHO: SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

political, and environmental decisions across the globe. These technologies will only continue to
progress in the coming years. A better knowledge of geographic information will ensure that
America's children and workforce are properly equipped for the future. A well-educated
population fluent in not only math and science, but in geography as well, is essential for
maintaining a competitive edge in a globalizing world. Geographic education is relevant at all
levels of society and across all spatial scales. Geographic education can facilitate better
understanding between different cultures and create opportunities for increased cooperation
between countries. Geographic knowledge also is deeply interwoven with the environment and
ecology, and can make individuals more aware of their impact on the planets intricate
ecological systems. With urgent crises such as climate change looming on the horizon,
geographic knowledge can not only give U.S. citizens a better understanding of the world, it can
also encourage parents and their children to be better caretakers of the planet and its
environment.

Recent Developments:
Innovative geographic technologies such as GIS and Google Earth are available to integrate into
K-12 classrooms. This exciting technology can greatly enhance learning and increase student
enthusiasm for the study of geography. Newly-developed, integrative educational programs
such as GeoMath and GeoLiteracy have also proven their worth in helping students learn
geography (Hinde and Ekiss, 2005). Furthermore, recent government legislation has marked a
growing interest in tackling this issue (Civic Impulse, 2016). It is imperative that new
technologies and programs be implemented as soon as possible to help increase geographic
proficiency levels across the country and particularly in the state of Idaho. Previous years have
shown that a lack of action to tackle this issue has only resulted in declining or stagnating
geographic proficiency levels (NCES, 2011).

GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION IN IDAHO: SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

Target Population Data:

The primary target population who can influence a major change in geographic education are
voting, adult taxpayers. Adults with children are the most significant target population since
they are most likely to take a serious interest in this issue, which involves their childrens
education and future. Adults ages 25-55 are the most likely to have children under age 18 living
in their household (Vespa, Lewis, and Kreider, 2013). Since this is such a large portion of the
U.S. population, an effective message will need to respect a variety of political views, as well as
different educational levels.

Demographic, Psychographic and Lifestyle Factors:

Age: 25-55 years-old

Gender: Male and female

Location: Entire state of Idaho

Educational level: High school diploma and above

In the state of Idaho, the majority of the population votes with the Republican party (Idaho
Secretary of State, 2016). This invariably affects the populations attitudes towards the role of
big government in education, and their willingness to fund additional educational programs.
Idaho adults, on average, have a lower educational level than adults in many other states.
Among these adults, only 25.4% hold a bachelors degree or higher (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015).
Lower education levels could potentially negatively affect perceptions about the importance of
geographic education. Additionally, Idaho ranks 50th on a national ranking of wages paid to
workers, worse than every state except for Mississippi (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015).
For per capita personal income, Idaho ranked 47th in the nation, and for total personal income,
Idaho ranked 41st (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2015). Lower income levels could affect
the financial ability of the average Idaho adult to travel outside of the United States. This, in
turn, could have an impact on the populations exposure to geographic knowledge, and on their
general attitudes towards geography and other cultures.

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Potential Motivators:
Adults with children may be the most willing to tackle this issue because it affects their
childrens education. In general, parents are protective of their children and genuinely care for
their well-being. Children who lack a complete education, including proficiency in geography as
a core subject, will be at a disadvantage in the future as they face global competition in college
and on the job market. Young European adults already outcompete their American
counterparts when tested for geographic proficiency, pointing to a trend that is likely to
continue if geographic education in the United States remains the same (National Geographic
and Roper, 2002). Concern for their childrens future can be a powerful motivator for parents
and may override barriers such as financial burden or political affiliation.

Potential Barriers:
Cost can be a major barrier to the development of geographic education programs. This is
especially true in the state of Idaho where income levels are lower than elsewhere in the
United States (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2015). For adults in Idaho, the creation and
implementation of geographic education programs could translate into increased taxes. The
publics attitudes toward the role of big government and a wariness of increased government
spending could also create barriers for these programs. These attitudes toward government
action are often tied to political affiliation. The majority of Idaho voters belong to the
Republican party and would likely vote against any increases in government spending, even for
education.

Historical Exposure and Attitudes:

In previous years, the publics exposure to the topic of geographic education and knowledge in
the U.S. has usually occurred through mass media outlets. News stories were primarily
published after the release of major reports and findings such as the 2006 National Geographic
Roper Survey (National Geographic and Roper, 2006) and the 2010 Nations Report Card (NCES,
2011). The publics historical attitude to this topic is questionable, as there have been few
studies in the U.S. regarding perceptions among adults toward geographic education. Most

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historical attitudes toward geography likely stemmed from peoples experiences as children in
school. As Helburn (1998) commented, Many remembered it fondly as a school subject. Few,
however, had any sense of it having any relation to their daily lives (p. 213).

Current Exposure and Attitudes:

There is a high amount of weekly media coverage regarding education, with many stories
focusing on education budget concerns (cf. Brown, 2016; Richert, 2016). Recent media
coverage of geographic education has primarily coincided with the release of the 2014 Nations
Report Card (cf. The Associated Press, 2015; Camera, 2015). Congress passage of Every Student
Succeeds Act in 2015 saw little coverage from most media outlets, who might have been
unaware of its implications for geographic education, no matter how small. Current public
attitude toward the topic is hard to gauge, as there is a lack of recent polls and data on the
subject. Those schools that have taught geography have primarily taught it as a memorization
exercise; schools seldom teach about the practical uses of geography in the world outside of
the classroom (Schell et al., 2013).

Available Resources:

Mass Media:
Exposure of this topic through the mass media is likely to be high. Articles abound from sources
such as CNN and U.S. News and World Report that highlight the issue of geographic education.
Many include titles aimed to grab the attention of the audience, such as a U.S. News article
titled U.S. Students are Really Bad at Geography. This title appears to have even been
changed from perhaps a more extreme title stating U.S. Students are Terrible at Geography
(Camera, 2015). Mass media outlets know that education is a topic most people, and especially
parents, are concerned about.

According to an August 2010 Gallup poll, newspapers and television news are only trusted by
about a quarter of Americans (Morales, 2010). Both newspapers and broadcast television,

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12

however, are perceived as more credible than personal websites or special interest sites
(Flanagin and Metzger, 2007). The target population will likely look favorably on news reports
by the mass media, though they will view them with a healthy sense of skepticism.

Social Media:
According to a report by the Pew Research Center, social media usage has grown significantly in
the past 10 years. Specifically, among adults ages 18-29 and 30-49, social media usage now
exceeds 75% (Perrin, 2015). This points to great potential to access the target population
through social media. Though social media posts or reports may be perceived as less credible
than stories by newspapers or broadcast television, this mode of communication will likely
reach a wide audience in the target population.

Funding Sources:
A recent bill in Congress, titled Every Student Succeeds Act, cemented geography as a core
subject for instruction in K-12 classrooms. It also allocated federal funds to state and local
educational institutions for promotion of educational activities, including geography activities
(Civic Impulse, 2016). This provides a possible source of funding for the creation of new
geographic educational programs in Idaho schools. The National Geographic Education
Foundation is a major funder of programs to promote geographic education across the United
States. Through its Network of Alliances for Geographic Education, it underwrites grants for
programs in all 50 states, though it accepts grant proposals by invitation only (Education
Foundation - National Geographic Education, n.d.). The American Association of Geographers
(AAG) also provides grants for geographic education programs in K-12 classrooms, primarily
through the Geography Education National Implementation Project (GENIP Grants, n.d.).

Alliances:
The National Geographic Education Foundation and the American Association of Geographers
are the primary national alliances for geographic education. As a part of National Geographics
nationwide Network of Alliances for Geographic Education, the Idaho Geo-Literacy Education

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and Outreach (IGEO) program is the only geographic alliance in Idaho. Educational
organizations such the Education Alliance of Idaho, the Panhandle Alliance for Education, and
the Idaho Education Association can also provide support and avenues for communication.
Though these organizations do not focus specifically on geographic education, they will be a
useful resource for dialogue and feedback with teachers and parents. Political organizations
such as the Idaho Republican Party and the Idaho Democratic Party can provide avenues for
disseminating messages to voters in Idaho. Alliances with political organizations can prove
invaluable as they provide ties to the lawmakers who control legislation and funding for
geographic education.

Summary:
Geographic proficiency has been lacking in the United States in recent decades, both for adults
and for children in school. The most potent contributor to this problem is a lack of educational
programs and funding for geographic education in the United States. As a result, educators are
not taking advantage of new developments in technology that could revolutionize the way
geography is taught in the classroom and allow for exciting new educational programs. This
problem is particularly acute in Idaho, where past efforts to stimulate geographic education
have fallen short. Legislation is another important factor in addressing geographic education.
While the U.S. Congress has begun to address geographic education, there is still much work to
be done, especially in state legislatures. Further, several potential barriers among Idahos adult
population may inhibit acceptance of new educational programs. These barriers include
political affiliation, financial capacity, and inaccurate preconceptions about geography
developed during childhood. An effective communication strategy will address the benefits
geographic education can provide, especially for Idahos children, who live in a globalizing
world. As a result, it will be important to help frame the issue for parents and adult taxpayers,
who may not immediately recognize the value of geographic education but who do care deeply
about the wellbeing of children. Alliances with educational organizations and political groups
will prove an invaluable resource for communicating about this issue with the target
population.

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