In the 21st century, the idea that students should have opportunities to develop powerful knowledge has been influential in educational research. Social realism as an educational philosophy, and a focus on knowledge derived from academic disciplines, have been advanced as an alternative to social constructivism and traditionalism as a basis for…

This study sought to understand how history teachers engage digitally native high school students in the history curriculum. There have been significant changes in the teaching of history over the past two decades, yet there is a lack of consensus as to what the purpose of history education is. Using qualitative research design and action research…

In this essay, place-based education is discussed within a social theoretical context. In particular, place-based education in social studies is advanced as a panacea for the depoliticization of the U.S. populace at "the end of history." The argument is twofold. First, it suggests politicizing potential in place-based social studies…

This report, intended primarily for civics reformers considering how best to defend and improve traditional American civics education, surveys a selection of different civics offerings, both the traditional and the radical. Surveyed providers include organizations such as the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, We the People, and Hillsdale…

In this study the author explores how an African American woman and elementary teacher utilized her family's history and cultural memories during the Great Migration to reconsider how we (re)member the past and understand what it means to be a citizen. The researcher found that the participant viewed migration as a central theme in understanding…

This conceptual article uses new materialism, and its particular focus on material things, as a lens of analysis in social studies education in order to demonstrate alternative ways in which social studies education researchers and teachers might engage in inquiry. Historically, social studies curriculum and teaching have centered human agency and…

This study examined how U.S. entry into World War I and related pedagogical reforms of the early twentieth century impacted elementary social education at a local level. Analysis of state curriculum guides, records from the collection of a rural school educator, report cards, and daily attendance registers for four counties indicated that…

This paper analyses the coverage of Indigenous topics in K-12 education in British Columbia (BC) using curriculum documents and course enrolment. It focuses on curriculum documents published between 1995 and 2010 and mandated in public education from 1995 to 2019, and argues that Indigenous topics were marginalized in the curriculum overall.…

From the moment the United States entered World War II, public schools across the nation bombarded the Office of Education Wartime Commission requesting advice on how to mobilize schools for the war effort. American schools would rise to the occasion, implementing numerous programs including pre-induction training and the Victory Corps. The…

In the United States courses on civics or government are often marginalized in most states' social studies curricula in favor of courses in United States or world history. The origins of this history-dominated approach have roots in the debates between the American Historical Association and the National Education Association at the turn of the…

What are the key contents related to democratic life in the curricula of civic and citizenship education in Latin American countries? What values and dimensions are most emphasized? This document summarizes the results of a comparative analysis of civic/citizenship curricula for primary and secondary education in six Latin American countries…

This article explores how teaching about identity in Australia has been framed by the recent historical and political context. It analyses the influential characterisation of Australian identity during John Howard's period in office between 1996 and 2007. The findings of Australian education researchers relating to young people's sense of what it…

My study explores a curriculum development project for Israel education in a liberal Jewish high school. Through an action research framework, I investigate the tensions between teaching about Israel to achieve critical thinking goals and to facilitate students' development of positive affinity for Israel. I also explore the affordances and…

In this response to Kevin St. Jarre's article "Reinventing Social Studies", the author agrees with St. Jarre that the social studies curriculum needs to change. However, he stresses that the improvement process will not be easy. Creating university social science and social studies courses that would prepare secondary teachers with the knowledge…

This paper presents an historical perspective on social studies curriculum development from 1900 to 1916. The author's main purpose in tracing the originals and rationale of social studies during these years is to locate the educational thought that resulted in the creation of the social studies in its societal context. The paper discusses…