ARKANSAS GEOGRAPHIC ALLIANCE

STRATEGIC PLAN

2012 – 2014

Geographically

Literate

Globalization

Environmental

Sustainability

February 2012

Dear Colleagues, Partners, and Friends:

Strategic planning will guide the Arkansas Geographic Alliance over the

next few years. Planning enables us to realize our vision and establish our

distinctiveness in the competiveness of educational leadership and

reform. Our planning looks both inward at our own needs and goals, and

outward at opportunities in an interdependent world.

An effective strategic plan must be selective, identifying priorities rather

than addressing all of the Alliance’s needs and activities. We will have

important work to do that may not be mentioned in this plan, but the

priorities identified will make the greatest difference in strengthening the

Arkansas Geographic Alliance and its position in the State of Arkansas.

This plan is rooted in our commitment to geographic literacy and

educational excellence. The plan reflects our vision of creating

geographically literate students, teachers, administrators, parents, and

business leaders who have competence, conscience, and compassion and

cultivate knowledge and awareness to build a more culturally aware and

sustainable world.

Our strategic priorities will advance our mission by strengthening our

ability to provide students, teachers, administrators, parents, and

business leaders with a holistic view of geography, empowering them to

shape the world that humanity deserves. These priorities will inform

more specific objectives and guide the next level of planning. The

priorities will also help shape and inspire the goals of the Alliance’s

campaign toward a geographically literate population.

Sincerely,

Brooks Green

Brooks Green

Coordinator

VISION

Individual citizens, businesses, educational institutions, and public and private organizations in Arkansas, realize that a geographically literate population is essential and critical for economic competiveness in an interdependent, global society, for the preservation of quality of life, and for environmental sustainability. These persons, institutions, and organizations will promote the need for, assist in the advancement of, and provide financial support for geographic education and geographic literacy. Therefore, geography will be a preeminent component of the school curriculum at all levels and supported by all stakeholders.

MISSION

The Mission of the Arkansas Geographic Alliance is to advocate and advance geographic literacy in Arkansas. This is accomplished by: 1) communicating with and engaging stakeholders; 2) measuring geographic literacy; 3) building an efficient and effective organizational infrastructure, 4) providing high quality professional development and other programs for practicing teachers, teacher candidates, and others, and 5) partnering with other organizations that will assit in reforming geography education.

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

AND GOALS

The Arkansas Geographic Alliance is poised to secure its future as one of

Arkansas’ distinctive institutions concerned about geographic literacy and

education at all levels.

To realize our vision and advance our mission during the next three years,

this plan idenfies the strategic priorities that will stengthen our capacity

to provide the kinds of support needed to help students, teachers, parents,

administrators, policy makers, and business leaders shape a better world

for all. An integrated approach to realizing a geographically literate

population permeates each of the five strategic goals of this plan:

1. STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATION AND ENGAGEMENT

2. MEASURING GEOGRAPHIC LITERACY

3. EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE

4. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

5. REFORM GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

STRATEGIC GOAL #1: COMMUNICATE WITH AND ENGAGE STAKEHOLDERS

Strategic Goal #1 is accomplished by completing the following

activity:

Activity #1: Creating and implementing a plan to regularly communicate with and engage stakeholders. Stakeholders have been identified at the Policy Level, Education Administrative Level, Practicing Teacher Level, Teacher Candidate Level, Business Community Level, and Parent/Family Level. Objectives to communicate and engage each level are crucial to this Strategic Plan and to the eventual reform of education such that geography is a prominent component of the Pre K – 12 curricula.

STRATEGIC GOAL #2: MEASURING GEOGRAPHIC LITERACY

Measuring geographic literacy is vital to the mission of the

Alliance. Without this goal, the Alliance has no idea where it is

and when it arrives at its stated goal.

Activity #2: Create a plan and measure geographic literacy.

The objective is to annually measure the geographic literacy rate of high

school seniors or first-semester university freshmen in order to track

improvement toward the 80% goal.

STRATEGIC GOAL #3: ESTABLISH AN EFFICIENT ORGANIZATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Building an enduring organizational infrastructure includes

the following activities:

Activity #3: Develop an efficient organizational structure for the Alliance. Sub-activity #1: Specify how the Alliance should best partner with the host institution; currently the University of Central Arkansas. Sub-activity #2: Develop a Coordinator transition plan. Activity #4: Develop a financial model and fundraising plan. Activity #5: Incorporate technology into Alliance operations. Activity #6: Develop a plan to increase Alliance membership.

STRATEGIC GOAL #4: PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND OTHER PROGRAMS

Developing Partnerships and Defining the Program Design includes the following goals: Activity #7: The Arkansas Geographic Alliance will develop professional development programs of different types in cooperation with its partners.

STRATEGIC GOAL #5: ESTABLISH PARTNERSHIPS THAT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO EDUCATIONAL REFORM

The Arkansas Geographic Alliance recognizes that educational

reform will only occur if other groups, organizations, and

institutions become contributing partners in that movement.

The following activities will contribute to the successful

completion of this Strategic Goal:

Activity #8: The Arkansas Geographic Alliance will develop partnerships with organizations that have an interest in geographic literacy and education. Activity #9: After the capacity and climate regarding geography, geographic literacy, and geography education have been improved and changed in Arkansas, Pre K – 12 school curricula will be changed to include more geography integration as well as stand-alone geography courses.

FUNDAMENTAL VALUES

The Arkansas Geographic Alliance is committed to these core values,

which will guide it in carrying out its mission and realizing its vision:

In alignment with the Vision and Mission, the Arkansas Geographic Alliance values:

Standards and Literacy. We seek a Pre K - 16 geographic education that abides by core and national standards and promotes geographic literacy at all levels and disciplines of instruction.

Education and Development. We promote professional preparation and development that produces teachers well educated in geographic knowledge and pedagogy.

Awareness and Involvement. We strive for public awareness and support of geographic literacy through the involvement of state policy makers, all schools and school districts, businesses, communities, parents, and families.

For a better understanding of the goals and activities of the Arkansas

Geographic Alliance’s Strategic Plan, please visit

www.arkansasgeographicalliance.com.

About the Arkansas Geographic Alliance

Established in 1989, the Arkansas Geographic Alliance is a statewide partnership between university professors, Pre K – 16 teachers, and other organizations. The Alliance has received funding from the National Geographic Education Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Arkansas Department of Education, the Ross Foundation, an Eisenhower grant, the Southwestern Bell Foundation, the Arkansas Rivers Commission, the Arkansas Humanities Council, the Arkansas Community Foundation, the Arkansas Department of Heritage, the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, and the Arkansas Historical Association. The Alliance is committed to developing partnerships with other educational organizations to provide professional development at local, regional, and statewide geography-related conferences and outreach events. The Alliance regularly distributes resources and materials, including atlases, maps, curricula, and other educational materials to educators. The Alliance has an up-to-date and active website that promotes the Alliance and provides resources for educators, and it distributes an electronic newsletter.

Arkansas Geographic Alliance Administration

Brooks Green, Coordinator Tanya Reddin, Board Member

Nancy Gallavan, Board Member Kayla Gustafson, Board Member

Lori Delk, Board Member Mounir Farah, Board Member

Julie Hill, Board Member Ben Lykins, Board Member

Karen Davis, Board Member Hans Haustein, Board Member

Jack Johnson, Board Member Leigh Sullivan, Board Member

Mission

Vision

Values

Arkansas Geographic Alliance

201 Donaghey Avenue

Conway, Arkansas 72035

Phone: 501-450-5636

Fax: 501-852-2926

www.arkansasgeographicalliance.com