The primary purpose of this Guide is to provide a blueprint for the development, revision, and implementation of state social studies standards. The process described herein offers opportunities for a range of stakeholder groups to engage in discussions around promising approaches and strategies that strategically advance implementation goals. It…

Civic learning for all students seems like a reasonable and important aim for all schools to achieve. If we believe that the future of our American democracy depends on a citizenry that is informed, engaged, and responsible, what better place to create future citizens than in schools? The Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools…

An e-learning project is a balance of time, cost, and scope measured against learner engagement. With this measure, the learner is part of every stage in the project's development. Assessing decisions with regards to learner impact will contribute to a more engaging and therefore successful project. To illustrate this concept, this paper will…

Interscholastic competition is an excellent means for showcasing social studies for students, parents, and the local community. Described is a social studies tournament as designed by one high school. Specifically discussed are tournament divisions, format, content, team selection and composition, instrument preparation and scoring, tournament…

The author, who over the years has taken many students abroad on study tours, shares some conclusions that he has reached. His thoughts, which include many practical tips on how to organize foreign travel, should be helpful to educators planning on undertaking such a venture. (RM)

Multicultural education, as defined by the author, is an organizational approach to integrating existing curriculum such as social studies and English with materials, ideas, strategies, and techniques which reflect the contributions, history, customs, and aspirations of ethnic groups. A multicultural approach to teaching can help students learn to…

Designed to assist organizations preparing to celebrate the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution through community and school events, this guide provides educational ideas that can be useful in directing the public's attention to the Constitution and the values it represents. Information is included on selecting forum formats, such as mock…

The Milwaukee (Wisconsin) public school system is the first public school system in the United States to offer a peace studies program to all elementary and secondary students. The program, including the planning and development process, is described. (RM)

Described is how a Wyoming school district developed a program that offers fourth-graders, engaged in local community studies, first-hand experience in their heritage. An exposition that featured exhibits and stations depicting contemporary and historic social and economic practices was developed. (RM)

This report describes a program to improve student achievement through the use of music strategies. The targeted population was fifth-grade students in a small Iowa community. The absence of music integration into the social studies area was observed through data that displayed the lack of motivation and in-depth learning by the students. Analysis…

Checklists cover six important dimensions of computer use in social studies: (1) what a computer can do to achieve educational goals, (2) planning for implementation, (3) major modes of computer uses in education, (4) important qualities, (5) technical features of good educational computer programs, and (6) checking out software. (RM)

Each school district in Texas must develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of a five-year plan for improvement for accreditation by the State of Texas. This report summarizes Austin Independent School District's (AISD) success in accomplishing five-year goals and objectives set in 1979-80 in eight areas: language arts; social studies…

This article addresses an arts-integrated social studies curriculum for grades three through five entitled Artful Citizenship, designed by The Wolfsonian-Florida International University. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination Grant program, the design and implementation of the program…

This manual is designed to help school personnel implement a social studies program in grades K-12 in New York State. It provides the State mandates for social studies, recommends the scope and sequence of the social studies program, and suggests a procedure for implementing social studies revisions at the local level. How to form a local social…

Intended to help educators create defensible, differentiated programs for the gifted, the paper analyzes the rationale for such programs and discusses program planning aspects. The following topics are addressed: the need for conceptualization of different programs for the gifted; suggested program goals; program prototypes; curricula for gifted…