ABSTRACT
Federal legislation in the form of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act (Public Law 103-227) has established ambitious goals for all K-12 educators. Particularly important to anyone concerned with early childhood education is the first and seemingly simple “Ready to Learn” goal: “By the year 2000, all children in America will start school ready to learn.” But before those responsible for preparing children to learn can help to shape appropriate early environments, it is critical to know what children will be expected to learn once they actually enter school. Again, Goals 2000 is prescriptive: Goal 3, “Student Achievement and Citizenship,” names the subjects that should be mastered in the course of education. The list includes English, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, and-the focus of this chapter-geography.
