Nearly a decade after the Soviet Union broke up, its republics were still united on maps and globes at Pleasant Hill Elementary School in Brookfield. Zaire also was there too, although since 1997 there has been no country by that name. Some are failing that test. A new map of the United States is in the background. Pleasant Hill School in Brookfield, Wis., recently acquired new maps and globes.
Many schools use maps that are long outdated.
A number of school districts are trying to address the situation. Saukville Elementary School likewise recently revamped its geographic resources. Milwaukee Public Schools sent out enough desktop-sized maps this year to its schools to supply every student from kindergarten through seventh grade. The maps accompanied the district's first social science textbook update in 10 years. Broadly defined, geography is the study of the relation between all things on the planet.