Last week the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report titled K-12 EDUCATION: Most Eighth Grade Students Are Not Proficient in Geography (pdf). I read it this weekend. Here's a recap.
Why the report?
The Senate asked the GAO to report on the status of geography education and challenges elementary and secondary schools face in providing that education with limited resources.
What did the GAO do?
The GAO examined:
- eighth grade geography proficiency
- challenges some school officials and teachers face in teaching geography
- the role of the Department of Education in geography education