Bowling Green, Ky. - For the second year in a row, the Kentucky Geographic Alliance has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the National Geographic Society to promote geography geographic literacy in schools and other venues.

The KGA is coordinated by S. Kay Gandy in Western Kentucky University’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Scott Dobler in WKU’s Department of Geography and Geology.

“The fundamental purpose for the $50,000 grant from the National Geographic Society is to ensure that the KGA can continue to promote the full value of geography and its place in the K-12 curriculum,” Dr. Gandy said.

The funds will serve as the structural foundation for a more proactive outreach agenda for the KGA through alignment with several postsecondary institutions and their programs, the creation of an effective broad-based advisory board, and the development of a purposeful and explicit advocacy policy, she said.

Since its inception in 1987, the KGA has adopted the task of implementing a wide range of outreach activities that have had as the ultimate goal the promotion, acceptance and appreciation for of the value of geographic literacy at the state, county and community levels.

The KGA has supported teacher professional development in geography, promoted geography at the local and state levels, been actively engaged in determining state standards in geography for the Kentucky Department of Education, functioned as part of other state based educational organizations, and provided a constant outreach to teachers, schools and organizations concerning the content and implementation of geography.

More information on the KGA is available online at http://www.kga.org/

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact Kay Gandy at (270) 745-2991.

-WKU-
"A leading American university with international reach"

Office of Media Relations
Western Kentucky University
1906 College Heights Blvd., Bowling Green, Ky. 42101-3576
Phone: (270)745-4295 - Fax: (270)7455387 - E-Mail: western@wku.edu