TheBěte Noirof Geographic Education: Teacher Training Programs

Despite many recent successes, the geographic education community faces serious problems based on its failure to create and maintain strategies for effective preservice teacher education. The development of effective preservice training is hindered by many problems, including the differing position of geography in school curricula among the states, lack of effective communication among groups responsible for curricula and teacher training, and poor interaction between universities and the schools. One remedy for this situation is cooperation and mutual respect. Preservice teacher education programs in geography need to be cast into a framework fashioned by a broad representation of those who have a stake in quality education—teachers, school district officials, bureaucrats, non-geographers and geographic educators.