The Ohio Geographic Alliance

The Ohio Geographic Alliance is part of the system of state alliances established by the National Geographic Society after the 1984 "Nation At Risk" report revealed a need to revitalize K-12 geography instruction. There are now Alliances in all 50 states, as well as the Canadian provinces and several U.S. territories.The Ohio Geography Alliance has been active since 1990, training several hundred teachers in state and regional workshops.

The Ohio Geographic Alliance is housed at the Mershon Center for Strategic Issues at The Ohio States University. Dr. W. Randy Smith has served as the coordinator of OGA since its inception.There are several classroom teachers serving as "senior Teacher Consultants", and a number of geography professionals from universities throughout the state working together to:

• develop workshops and training institutes for Ohio teachers
• develop instructional materials for classroom use
• work with state education leaders to reestablish geography education as a priority
• conduct the Ohio Geography Bee
• support Geography Awareness Week
• support other geography programs for families , students, and teachers

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