United States of America: Rugged Terrain and Fertile Ground for GIS in Secondary Schools

In this chapter, we describe the status of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the secondary schools of the USA. We emphasize the progress that has been made in recent years toward overcoming some of the barriers to infusing geospatial technologies in US schools, and focus on the emergence of GIS in career and technical education through a case study of an innovative program in Santa Rosa, California. We conclude with a discussion of the prospects for GIS in US secondary schools in the future.