Efforts to bring human rights (HR) and international humanitarian law (IHL) into the mainstream of social studies education in the United States often encounter roadblocks and digressions that are difficult to understand from outside the arena of US public education. Educational standards, curricula and core practices in U.S. public schools…

Delineates why the National Commission for the Social Studies provides an excellent opportunity for improving social studies education. Identifies several issues the Commission must address, including the value of teaching social studies, the content of social studies curriculum, and when and how to teach the social studies. (LS)

No work in social studies has been consistently referred to over the past 75 years as much as has "The Social Studies in Secondary Education," Bulletin No. 28 (1916) of the U.S. Bureau of Education. This volume, the "Report of the Committee on Social Studies of the Commission on the Reorganization of Secondary Education of the…

This seminar was part of the Council of Europe's work on education for international understanding and it was the third in a series of European teachers' seminars on the links between Europe and other regions and cultures. The aims of the seminar were to: (1) identify what is taught about the United States in secondary schools in a representative…

Social studies departments today face the challenge of how to successfully orchestrate four major components of curricula change -- staff concerns, evaluating the curriculum, course content, and restructuring the curriculum. (Author)

The fourth edition of this curriculum planning resource takes users through the entire process of planning a social studies program, from deciding on a rationale to selecting curriculum materials to installing and maintaining the program. The guide incorporates current concerns such as standards-based curriculum, authentic assessment, and…

Article provided information teachers should know before teaching ethnic studies courses: What is it? Why teach it? What is the content scope? Where does it fit into the curriculum? These four questions were answered and strategies for developing ethnic studies programs were suggested. (Author/RK)

Questions whether a radical shift in the factual content of American schools' curricula has ever occurred. Reviews a representative high school social studies textbook, finding that it contains more historical terms than does Hirsch's famous list. (NH)

Summarizes how teachers may implement the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework as they design and teach courses in Western civilization and world history, focusing on the integration of history, geography, and the social sciences. Suggestions are given for approaches to common problems. (SLD)

The standards in this document resulted from a statewide effort to identify a scope and sequence of content, concepts, skills, and attitudes in social studies from kindergarten through grade twelve. The goals embodied in the standards include: (1) providing experiences that enable students to participate in society effectively and responsibly; (2)…

A policy decision taken at Michigan State's College of Education profoundly changed the nature and orientation of the elementary social studies methods courses taught. It was decided that the college would move from a relatively monolithic program to offering incoming students a choice of alternate programmatic routes to certification.…

The six stages of citizenship development through which a child passes from the time of birth are discussed, and the teaching methods and curriculum for citizenship education that are appropriate at the various levels are described. (RM)

Presents a scope and sequence for social studies grounded in global education. Four essential elements set the boundaries for the scope of the curriculum: (1) the study of systems; (2) the study of human values; (3) the study of persistent issues; and (4) the study of global history. Illustrates how these themes are sequenced throughout grades…

A model for Continuous-Integrated-Sequential (C/I/S) curricula for social studies education is presented. The design advocated involves ensuring continuity of instruction from grades K-12, an integration of social studies disciplines, and a sequential process of refining and reinforcing concept and skills from grade-to-grade along the K-12…