November 23, 2009

Clark becomes new home to NGS-funded Mass Geographic Alliance to improve education

Clark University recently became the new home for the Massachusetts Geographic Alliance, which is funded by the National Geographic Society.

Clark University recently became the new home for the Massachusetts Geographic Alliance, which is funded by the National Geographic Society.

Mimi Stephens, director of the Teachers Center for Global Studies, which is part of Clark's College of Professional and Continuing Education (COPACE), will serve as the Alliance co-coordinator. She shares her leadership role with Clark alumnus Dr. Vernon Domingo, geography professor at Bridgewater State College.

"When the longstanding co-coordinator of the MGA, Paul Mulloy, decided to retire, he asked if I would be willing to assume his responsibilities," Stephens said. "He also felt--and National Geographic agreed – that given Clark's reputation for excellence in geography, Clark would be an ideal fiscal and administrative home for the Alliance."

The Alliance complements the existing work of the Teachers Center, which offers professional development program for teachers on Africa, Asia and Latin America. The Teachers Center is already a regional center for the Alliance, and has long been host to the state Geography Bee.

"Most people still think that geography is rote memorization of place locations or mountain ranges," Stephens said. "We need to address these misperceptions and get geography back into the k-12 curricula."

The Massachusetts Geographic Alliance was formed in 1987 as an organization composed of K-12 teachers dedicated to promoting the study of geography at the K-12 level in Massachusetts. To date, it has received $ 1,130,000 from National Geographic Society. Membership in the Alliance is open to any educator interested in improving the teaching of geography.

The Alliance offers a variety of professional development program for teachers and pre-service teachers through its six regional centers, which are located at Bridgewater State College, Clark University, Salem State College, Winchester Public Schools, the Five College Center for East Asian Studies (Smith College) and Framingham State College. The Alliance also sends teachers to National Geographic Society for leadership summer institutes. Graduates of these institutes are then known as "geography teacher consultants" and offer presentations at various state and regional conferences.

A grant of $23,000 from National Geographic Society this year will help the Massachusetts Geographic Alliance think strategically about priorities for the next few years and ways it might work more closely with other state alliances in New England to promote geography.

Stephens commented that there is much work for the Alliance to tackle. "Geography is the only core subject not included in the No Child Left Behind Act, so National Geographic has introduced legislation called "Geography is Fundamental" to try to get geography the attention it deserves. On a state level, there is no geography licensure in the State, so geography teachers do not need to be certified in the subject to teach it."

For more information about the Massachusetts Geographic Alliance, go to www.massgeo.org.