There is no need to create a new curriculum in heritage education. Rather, there is an imperative to use the existing curriculum more effectively, to infuse it with the best content on U.S. history and culture, including models of the built environment that embody and reflect the values, aspirations, and achievements of preceding generations.…

This paper describes two institutions, in England and Massachusetts, that aim to connect students and adults to the land through the study of particular places. Gilbert White, an 18th-century curate in Selborne, England, was a keen observer and one of the earliest naturalists. His book, "The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne,"…

Heritage education is an interdisciplinary, interactive approach to examining the historical and cultural evidence of heritage that remains in neighborhoods, community, and regions. This paper seeks to answer some basic questions about heritage education, including: What is it? What are heritage educators seeking to accomplish? Is there a right…

Local historical investigation can make history more relevant and allow national trends to be understood as they were reflected in local incidents. Research-based historical reenactment is growing in popularity throughout North America but has had limited use in classrooms because of overreliance on textbooks and teacher concerns about curriculum…

Interesting and stimulating instruction in high school social studies may be achieved by using the community and its institutions as a laboratory for learning and by creating an on-going community resource inservice program. Effective ways to incorporate community resources in the curriculum include creating special sections on developing writing…