Good Morning Geographers –
The State Board of Education has reached another milestone in the latest revision of the Social Studies standards and geography is taking it in the shorts once again despite our best efforts to educate stakeholders and get representatives
to serve on the standards writing and evaluation committees. The powers that be continue to value history over geography and that is reflected in the final draft standards that are to have their first reading by the voting members of the State Board of Education
on April 21.
I implore you to write to your representative on the State Board of Education
before April 21 and ask that they vote NO on accepting these standards. Here are the reasons:
·
In 2013 the 7th grade stand-alone World Geography course was eliminated and some of the content in that course was pushed down to 3rd grade. In the final draft standards up for adoption in 2017, what little
world geography that was there has been minimized even further. For example, this school year, students will learn about 24 countries. If the new standards are adopted, next year students will learn about 10.
·
The world geography that students learn in 3rd grade is the last required cohesive geography instruction they will receive throughout their K-12 experience.
·
From grades 6 – 12, students will take five required “History and Geography” courses. However, the vast majority of the content in those courses is history and not geography. Physical geography is almost nonexistent.
Students will take zero required geography courses.
·
A subject whose structure should be based on themes and topics is now taught meagerly intertwined in a chronological progression, which it is not at the college level. No college or university in Tennessee teaches geography in
hybrid history/geography courses. These standards will not best prepare students for college or careers.
·
Geospatial technologies (the marriage of geography and technology) are one of the three fastest growing segments of the high tech sector, yet we are graduating students who have no clue that geography and geospatial technologies
are viable career paths.
Ask your representative on the State Board of Education to visit the employment segment of the American Association of Geographers website at:
http://www.aag.org/cs/salarydata There they will see a vast array of jobs for people with geography-related skills and data on the rapid growth in most of those jobs.
Following and attached is information on how to contact your representative on the State Board of Education.
I have a digital copy of the final draft standards if you would like to see them.
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PLEASE take the time out of your busy schedules to write your member of the State Board of Education who represents your Congressional district (instructions on how to find out who that person is are included in the attached Board of Ed
Members document).
Draft language for your letter can be pulled from the information in the first part of this email. However, please attempt to personalize your communications to include your experience as a teacher, user of GIS, in higher education, etc.
You should not feel obligated to state for whom you work if that puts you in a compromising position. I completely understand that as many of you work for the state or for private employers who have state contracts. However, you have
every right as a private citizen to advocate for a cause.
I greatly appreciate your attention to this request.
Kurt Butefish
Coordinator
Tennessee Geographic Alliance
865.974.4841