Navigating the Need for Improved Geography Education

In recent months, a new trend has emerged on social media platforms like TikTok. The premise of such videos includes a person going up to strangers in public and “quizzing” them, sometimes with a monetary reward for each correct answer. The creator will ask a stranger a variety of questions, and oftentimes, either that stranger’s inability to answer or their absurdly incorrect responses will be what makes the video go viral. 

A majority of the questions asked in these videos are geography-based, and while some of those videos are likely edited or staged to accumulate more likes and views, the disconcerting reality is that many are not. An alarmingly large number of people in this country lack basic geographic knowledge. It is not a stretch to say that when a stranger in those videos does not know the difference between a continent and a country, they are not one of few. 

According to a 2015 report from the Government Accountability Office, approximately three-quarters of eighth-grade students scored below the “proficient” level in geography, “indicating partial or less than partial mastery.” This deficiency directly results from an insufficient emphasis on geography instruction within schools. 

Often, the majority of geography education is bulked into one general social studies class. However, that same report also found that “more than half of eighth-grade teachers reported spending 10 percent or less of their social studies instruction time on geography.” Most school districts prioritize reading, math, and science instead, leaving teachers with little space or time to explore a geography curriculum. Furthermore, as of 2013, only 17 states even mandated a geography course in middle school, and only 10 states required one for graduation from high school. 

In New York State, the profound educational divide is not a recent revelation. The state’s Regents exams, which are often criticized for their high curve and low standards, often pass students in subjects they barely understand. This also holds true for the Regents Exam in Global History and Geography II. 

As Stuyvesant students, we have become accustomed to the fact that the level of our education is much greater than that afforded to other public high schools both in the city and state. However, even at Stuyvesant, geographical literacy is often overlooked. Just last year, the only geography-dedicated course in the school, AP Human Geography, was discontinued, and no new class has been offered in its place. It seems that, again and again, geography education is consistently seen as something discretionary instead of necessary, which allows it to be swept under the rug and ignored whenever convenient. 

To gauge the shortcomings of geographical literacy at Stuyvesant, I decided to step into the role of the aforementioned video creator and conduct a small survey, quizzing random Stuyvesant students in the hallways with a few geography-based questions, though without the allure of a cash prize. As anticipated, the results were inadequate, to say the least. Only 31 percent could correctly identify Vietnam on a map, and only 54 percent could correctly identify Portugal. Furthermore, while 77 percent could correctly state the number of oceans, only 15 percent could name them. Despite my limited sample size and variety of questions, the findings serve as a telling indication of a broader issue at hand. Even at top schools, there is still a resounding scarcity of geographic literacy and efforts to improve it. 

By failing to provide comprehensive geography education to students, the United States is raising adults who are not knowledgeable about the very world in which they reside. Some of those individuals might grow up to be our leaders and our presidents, but all of them will grow up to be the future generation responsible for protecting our place on this Earth. Yet, how can they fulfill that duty if they do not even fully know the Earth they are to protect?

Hence, it is essential to ensure that standalone geography classes are both available and required for students to graduate. Merely offering the courses is not enough, though: the classes should be upheld to a rigorous standard, guaranteeing that the students are actually learning the material and not just learning the necessary amount to pass, because geography isn’t just another school subject. Being geographically literate is an important life skill. 

Geography education develops numerous valuable traits within an individual. For instance, through the study of areas around the globe, one witnesses the similarities and differences between their culture and the cultures of others. By considering the impact of factors such as the climate and its changes, the availability of natural resources, and the types of landforms present in different locations, one can gain an understanding of people’s diverse lifestyles, thus building empathy, understanding, and respect for others. In addition, geography education encourages making logical links between how location and factors related to the location have aided or hindered societies. By equipping students with this knowledge and teaching them to identify such relationships in the first place, we better prepare them for solving similar international issues whenever they may arise. Finally, having geographic knowledge allows people to better navigate themselves and the world around them. For example, people gain the ability to understand spatial relationships and plan efficient travel routes through the use of maps.

At the end of the day, the inadequacies in geographic knowledge shown in viral videos are not only an amusing spectacle; they are indicative of a larger issue that requires our immediate attention. In cultivating geography literacy, we provide individuals with the tools they need to not only better analyze the patterns of the past but also make connections to the present and predictions for the future. Geography education fosters conscientiousness, empathy, understanding, and enhances problem-solving skills on a global scale. At the bare minimum, it is indispensable for basic awareness and safety. We must strive to make geography education easily accessible for all, ensuring a brighter, more educated future both for individuals and for our collective well-being on this Earth.