Significance and Influence of the National Geographic Society Alliance Network on K-12 Geography Education, 1986-2011: A Historical Analysis

Abstract

This research explores the history and influence of the National Geographic Society Network of Alliances for Geographic Education (Alliance Network), a K-12 geography education support program, from 1986-2011. Mr. Gilbert M. Grosvenor began the program in 1986 as a grassroots movement, creating 54 state-based alliances that provided professional development and classroom materials, public outreach events and activities, and advocated for geography education policy change at all levels of government. Using historical document analysis and oral history methods, this research creates a historical record of the major events of the Alliance Network at the National Geographic Society level, and analyzes how it met the program’s goals for sustained change of geography education in the U.S. K-12 education environment. It also utilizes oral history interviews to discover and analyze the influence of the Alliance Network on the field of geography education.