NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Leah Jackson (jacksonl@nsula.edu)
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

1/03/2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES -Dr. Paul Nagel, coordinator of the Louisiana Geography Education Alliance (LaGEA) and assistant professor in the Northwestern State University College of Education, was awarded a grant from the National Geographic Society for nearly $50,000 to promote geography education across the state. This is the second such grant that Dr. Nagel has secured for LaGEA.

Proposed in the grant is a series of one-day workshops in Thibodaux, Baton Rouge, Lafayette and Monroe. These one-day stops, "Expanding the Horizons for Geography Education," are meant to serve as professional development opportunities for K-12 teachers who will learn geography-related content that can be used immediately in their classrooms. The workshops will also serve as a springboard to lobby state officials to fund Act 489 that was signed in to law in June. Act 489 created the Louisiana Geography Education Initiative Program that was introduced by Senator Mike Smith (D - Winnfield). Act 489 sailed through both houses in Baton Rouge but was not funded. Dr. Nagel hopes to create a Geography Education Endowment for the state of Louisiana, and Act 489 provides the foundation for this work.

"National Geographic launched a public relations campaign last August called 'My Wonderful World," Nagel said. "They did a poll of 18-24 year olds on various geography-related items. But what was most shocking to me, was that two-thirds of the participants could not find Louisiana on a map. This is after hurricanes Katrina and Rita were all over the news."

Results of the poll can be viewed at http://www.nationalgeographic.com/roper2006/pdf/FINALReport2006GeogLitsurvey.pdf.

In addition to the four "Expanding Horizons" workshops, the National Geographic grant will also provide money to train third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers in Monroe on reading and geography techniques. The grant is also allowing Dr. Nagel to hold the "Hurricane Rita, the Forgotten Storm" conference in Lake Charles in March and the fourth annual LaGEA-NSU Social Studies Summit in Natchitoches on April 28.

"LaGEA is moving in the right direction and these grants support our efforts," Nagel said. "It is important that geography be taught so that students have a better understanding of the world around us and the impacts that a global economy has."

Nagel holds a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Minnesota, a master's from the University of Guam, and Ph.D. in geography education from Texas State University - San Marcos. He taught middle school social studies in Guam and Texas for six years and accepted the role of co-coordinator for the Louisiana Geography Education Alliance in 2003. Last month, Natchitoches Mayor Wayne McCullen recognized the NSU geography program and the university in a Geography Week proclamation.

"I think geography and social studies has become less important in schools because of high stakes testing," Nagel said. "In elementary school students are tested on reading, writing, and mathematics. In Louisiana fourth and eighth graders are tested in social studies, but the test doesn't matter. That is if the student fails, it doesn't hold him or her back and does not affect school accountability. The trend to test subject other than geography and social studies is common across the Unites States."

For more information on My Wonderful World, visit http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/.

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