Why Geographic Education?

The following is a communication that was directed to teachers in the state of Florida, which pretty much answers the question and summarizes the foundation's philosophy:

​

Every day, we are confronted by world events that would be almost totally indecipherable without an understanding of geography and geographical concepts.

 

Geography grapples with critical issues facing us in the 21st Century: water, energy, habitat, climate, population pressures, and much more.  Just imagine key decision-makers tackling these complex problems without a geographic framework-a frightening scenario indeed.  The teaching you do helps ensure a brighter future for the planet.  The challenges to our environment, economy, and security are enormous, and global, but must be addressed on a local scale by each of us daily.

 

Inspiring students to become interested not only in the environment but in geography as a whole is critical to a student's success. The geography you teach helps to open the doors to the arts and sciences. The geographic perspective allows you to contextualize the history, literature, art, or geology of a place and help make the curriculum relevant to your students.

 

In order to be globally-minded, economically competitive, and culturally-aware, American students need geography. Our children today deserve the opportunity to learn about the world they live in.

 

We appreciate all you do and are honored to support your efforts. Together, we continue to elevate the role of geography in the K-12 curriculum and into the minds of our students today so that they may become globally-minded citizens of tomorrow.