Success Story
Geologist Turned Educator Gets GIS for Every West Virginia K–12 Student
As a trained geologist, Dr. Erika Klose understands the importance of geographical data in the context of learning to analyze datasets. After she finished college, she got a job as a geologist at the US Geological Survey (USGS). The agency, part of the US Department of Interior, collects, analyzes, and monitors data in the fields of biology, geography, and geology. In her six years at USGS, one of her responsibilities was outreach for her department. “I realized I was destined to become a teacher,” said Klose.
Obtaining a Master of Arts in Teaching, she began a career as a middle school science teacher. Having a prior background in geology and geophysics, Klose understood the importance of geographic information system (GIS) technology.

“When I made the decision to become a teacher, I was a professional GIS user. I was very familiar with science communication, research, data collection, and creating maps for the public,” said Klose. “I saw GIS as a way to teach students about what it means to look at data spatially and how to gain an understanding and context for what they are learning.”
The West Virginia Department of Education, which oversees 55 counties and about 245,000 students, has an education license through Esri. This provides teachers and students with single sign-on access to ArcGIS software across the district for education purposes. The department offers teachers professional development (PD) training to learn how to use the software. But because Klose was already experienced with GIS, she didn’t need additional training. However, she was able to help her coworkers understand how to implement the technology into their lesson plans. Klose taught her peers ArcGIS. “For a number of years, we trained hundreds and hundreds of teachers on the desktop version of the software,” said Klose, now the director of the Office of PK–12 Academic Support at the West Virginia Department of Education.

Simplifying Access to GIS Technology
Initially, the districts faced challenges in administering PD trainings for GIS because not all schools and classrooms had the same technology infrastructure to access the software. “We exposed teachers to this tremendous tool that they really wanted, but then they couldn’t all bring it to their kids,” explained Klose. Installing the software was difficult in computer labs across the district because some computers were outdated. “We had 10 to 15 schools that could actually get the software installed and use it,” said Klose. Despite these initial challenges, Klose found that teachers “immediately saw the power of GIS data and started making connections to their classroom content.”
ArcGIS Online—a web-based software as a service for comprehensive spatial analysis, mapping, and collaboration—significantly improved students’ and teachers’ access to GIS throughout West Virginia schools. In one instance, second graders were using iPad devices to learn about butterfly migration patterns. Using ArcGIS Survey123, a simple and intuitive form-centric data gathering application, they mapped butterfly locations and collected pictures. “GIS helps students understand data spatially, which enhances their comprehension of the material they are learning,” said Klose. “By integrating GIS, students can see how the content fits into the real world, making learning more relevant and engaging.”

ArcGIS Online also facilitated the creation of classroom instruction that connected educational content with both local and global contexts, making learning more relevant and engaging for students at all grade levels.
Expanding Uses of ArcGIS Outside the Classroom
Each year, West Virginia middle and high school students compete by creating maps to tell stories that have a geographic focus important to them. ArcGIS StoryMaps is a web-based application that allows users to create and share interactive stories using maps, text, images, and multimedia content. “I’ve had a lot of teachers reach out to ask if we were doing the competition this year; it’s fun to watch that spark in our educators,” said Klose. “The competition is a great way to get our kids some experience and attention.”
Klose has been the director of the Office of PK–12 Academic Support at the West Virginia Department of Education since January 2024. Prior to that, she coordinated STEM, science, and computer science classes since 2018. She continues to share her passion for the power of GIS. “A phrase I always use when sharing with teachers around the state is that GIS is a tool to give our students context to the content.”
Klose now has more buy-in from the administration and teachers to integrate more STEM and computer science content standards into the curriculum across the district. The success of the K–12 GIS program has led to more collaboration between the K–12 schools and West Virginia’s colleges and universities.

GIS allows students to have immersive experiences and create projects that enhance their exposure to real-world applications of data science and geography. And by exposing students to the science and technology of GIS so early, it’s an indelible part of their intellectual language later on. “By middle school, students are completely capable of creating [stories with] ArcGIS StoryMaps and doing their own data investigations,” said Klose. “So, a lot of our courses can plug-and-play into other pathways . . . in college, our students have seen ArcGIS before, and they understand what it is.”