Geography Achievement and Future Geographers

Broadening participation in scientific fields, conceptually, is about enhancing the involvement and academic outcomes of underrepresented groups at all levels of education. In recent decades the American Association of Geographers (AAG) and geography departments have collaboratively worked to increase the representation of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities among undergraduate students, graduate students, and the academic and nonacademic professional workforce. Efforts to broaden participation in geography are ongoing, yet mostly continue to exclude K–12 educators and students. Using multiple data sets provided by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), this article examines the extent to which students in secondary education are acquiring knowledge representing the distinctive substance and thought processes of geography. NAEP item maps for different student groups were created to analyze varying levels of competency over geography subject matter. Results indicate most students do not know enough geography to think geographically at a high level of proficiency, with persisting achievement gaps associated with race, gender, and other student characteristics. Social disparities in geography achievement are symptomatic of widespread and systemic barriers to geography’s powerful epistemic knowledge, underscoring the need for geographers to adopt a comprehensive research-based strategy for broadening participation that bridges K–12 and postsecondary education.