But that's only 44 percent of our high school graduates. More than half of our high school students are graduating without studying world history. If youngsters are to acquire an appreciation of geography and ultimately learn to think geographically, parents and communities must insist that local schools restore it to prominence in the curriculum. They should insist that geography be studied and learned in one form or another, through several years of the primary and secondary curriculum. Learning should not be restricted to the classroom.
Parents are a child's first teachers and can do much to advance a youngster's geographic knowledge.
This booklet suggests some ways to do so. The significance attached to geography at home or at school can be estimated in a glance at the walls and bookshelves. Helping every child develop his or her ability to use maps and to develop mental maps of the world ought to become a priority in our homes and schools. For, as we all know, our lives are becoming an ever tighter weave of interactions with people around the world. If our businesses are to fare well in tomorrow's world markets, if our national policies are to achieve our aims in the future, and if our relationships with other peoples are to grow resilient and mutually enriching, our children must grow to know what in the world in where.