significance and influence of the national geographic society alliance network on k-12 geography

266 Pages·2017·6.69 MB·English

SIGNIFICANCE AND INFLUENCE OF THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
ALLIANCE NETWORK ON K-12 GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION, 1986-2011:
A HISTORICAL NARRATIVE
by

Caroline H. McClure, B.A., M. Ed., M.A.

A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Council of
Texas State University in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
with a Major in Geographic Education
May 2018

Committee Members:

Richard G. Boehm, Chair

Denise Blanchard

Ronald C. Brown

Richard Earl
COPYRIGHT

by

Caroline H. McClure

2018
FAIR USE AND AUTHOR’S PERMISSION STATEMENT

Fair Use

This work is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553,
section 107). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotation
from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgement. Use of this material for
financial gain without the author’s express written permission is not allowed.

Duplication Permission

As the copyright holder of this work, I, Caroline H. McClure, authorize duplication of
this work, in whole or in part, for educational or scholarly purposes only.
DEDICATION

This dissertation is dedicated to the woman who always believed I could do whatever I
set my mind to, without question. To my grandmother, Mary Hope McClure.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This dissertation would not have been possible without the support of my family.
To my parents, Teresa and Johnny McClure, thank you for always encouraging me in all
endeavors, no matter how lofty, and for teaching me that I can do anything I set my mind
to. To my brother, Wells, and his wife and daughter, Shelley and Charleigh, I love you,
and thank you for believing and supporting me. To friends both near and far, thank you
for you unwavering belief.
To my advisor and mentor, Dr. Richard G. Boehm, thank you for believing in this
project and its importance. Thank you for providing me the opportunities afforded by
working in the Grosvenor Center for Geographic Education and the Geographic
Education Ph.D. program at Texas State University. To Dr. Denise Blanchard, Dr.
Ronald C. Brown, and Dr. Richard Earl, thank you for the support throughout this
process, answering questions, and guiding me down the path.
To the National Geographic Society, National Geographic Education, and the
Network of Alliances for Geographic Education, this project would not have been
possible without you, your history, and your passion for K-12 geography education.
Thank you to the people who allowed me to interview them, asking questions about their
personal experiences and opinions, and permitting me to share your stories. Those
conversations gave light to the influence the Alliance Network had not only on the field
of geography education, but also your lives, as well as how each of you in turn influenced
the Alliance Network and geography education. The ACs, GEP staff and leadership, and
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teachers of the Alliance Network made the program special, a program that no other
discipline had.
Lastly, thank you to Gilbert M. Grosvenor for taking the time to speak with me,
share your insights into the program and its components, and for allowing me to write,
analyze, and share its history and story. It has changed lives and geography, because you
believed it was important.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................................................................................v

LIST OF TABLES ...............................................................................................................x

LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... xii

ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... xiii

CHAPTER
I. INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................1

The Origins of the National Geographic Alliance .......................................2
Significance of this Research .......................................................................5

II. NATURE AND SCOPE................................................................................7

Limitations ...................................................................................................8

III. LITERATURE REVIEW ..........................................................................10

Guidelines and the Five Themes ................................................................11
GENIP ........................................................................................................11
The Geographic Alliance Model: California .............................................12
Educational Policies ...................................................................................13
America 2000, National Education Goals, and Goals 2000 ..........14
Geography: What did students know? .......................................................16
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) ................17
McREL Study ................................................................................19
The Good and the Bad: Opinions on the Alliance Network ......................21
Status of Geography Education in the 2000s .............................................21
Summary ....................................................................................................27

IV. RESEARCH QUESTIONS .......................................................................29

V. METHODS .................................................................................................32

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Theoretical Framework: Oral History ........................................................32
Interview Protocol ..........................................................................33
Examples of Oral Histories Related to Businesses ........................34
Research Design.........................................................................................35
Data Collection ..............................................................................36

VI. ANALYSIS I .............................................................................................45

Research Question 1 and Research Question 2..........................................46
A. Setting the Stage—The Early Years: 1980s ......................................... 47
National Geographic and Education ..............................................48
The California Connection .............................................................50
Pilot Program .................................................................................54
Geography Awareness Week .........................................................55
Geography Education Program and the Alliance Network............60
Building the Network .....................................................................63
GENIP Map ...................................................................................65
Summer Geography Institute (SGI) ...............................................65
Instructional Leadership Institute (ILI) ..............................75
Alliance Summer Geography Institutes (ASGI) ................76
Education Foundation ....................................................................77
Professional Development plans ....................................................80
Summary ........................................................................................81
B. Expansion—The Middle Years: 1990s .................................................82
Completing the Alliance Network .................................................82
Institutes .........................................................................................88
Project Marco Polo ............................................................92
ASGIs .................................................................................94
Education Foundation ....................................................................95
Matching Funds .................................................................97
State Endowments ............................................................100
Changes to NGEF ............................................................102
National Education Policies .........................................................103
NAEP ...............................................................................104
National Geography Standards ........................................107
National Geographic Society and AP Human Geography ...........111
Summary ......................................................................................117
C. Maturity—The Late Years: 2000s.......................................................119
54 Alliances .................................................................................119
Education Foundation: Funding Changes ....................................119
State Endowments: ..........................................................127
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Changes to the Network ...............................................................129
A New Plan for Alliances ................................................131
Policy: No Child Left Behind and TGIF ......................................136
Teaching Geography is Fundamental (TGIF) ..................137
2011: 25 Years .............................................................................142

VII. ANALYSIS II ........................................................................................145

Research Question 3 ................................................................................145
Grassroots: Building a “Prairie Fire” ...........................................146
Professional Development and Educational Materials
Development ...............................................................................148
Public Outreach ............................................................................155
Policy Change and Advocacy ......................................................158
Summary ......................................................................................161

VIII. ANALYSIS III ......................................................................................169

Research Question 4 ................................................................................169
Influence on Geography Education Initiatives: Standards,
NAEP, and AP Human Geography ..............................................170
Influencers of Geography Education and the Alliance Network:
Leaders in the Field ......................................................................173
National Geographic Education Leadership ....................173
Distinguished Geography Educators................................175
Geography Legislators of the Year ..................................176
Influence on Individuals ..............................................................179
Influence on Geography Education .............................................184
Summary ......................................................................................188

IX. CONCLUSION........................................................................................197

APPENDIX SECTION ................................................................................................................ 201

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................ 228

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LIST OF TABLES
Table Page

2.1. Definition of terms ........................................................................................................8

3.1. Geography requirement for middle and high school, 2009-2015 ...............................22

5.1. List of interviews and relationship to the Alliance Network or position in K-12
geography education ..........................................................................................................38

6.1. Geography Awareness Week Themes ........................................................................58

6.2. Alliance Network Institute Themes, 1986-2008 .........................................................73

6.3. Alliance state, founding year, and original Alliance Coordinator(s) ..........................83

6.4. National Geographic Society/Alliance Network members on NAEP 1994 project .104

6.5. Geography Education Standards project contributors ..............................................108

6.6. Total number of students taking AP Human Geography exam, 2001-2011 .............117

6.7. Grosvenor Grant recipients, 2001-2004 ....................................................................123

6.8. Education Network Grant recipients, 2005-2006 .....................................................125

6.9. National Geographic Geography Education Funds, 2002 ........................................128

6.10. NCLB funding by discipline ...................................................................................137

6.11. TGIF number of co-sponsors, 2005-2012 ...............................................................141

6.12. Alliances with funding in state budgets over time ..................................................144

7.1. Summary of Research Question 3: Did the Alliance Network meet its goals? ........164

8.1. Distinguished Geography Educator Award recipients ..............................................176

8.2. Geography Legislator of the Year Award recipients ................................................178

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