Geography Instructional Materials for Standards-Based Education

In order to establish standards-based education in K-12 geography in the United States, we must 1) develop strong instructional materials, 2) train teachers to use those materials, and 3) ensure adoption of the materials by providing curricular guidance, especially linking materials and teacher training to the reform movement for standards-based education. Three geography instructional materials-development projects support the new geography standards and offer alternatives to the current patterns of classroom use of traditional textbooks and idiosyncratic fugitive activities. GIGI, ARGUS, and GEOLinks represent steps in the evolution of geography materials development in the United States.