In 1890, the United States government had no agency empowered to control the overall supply of money. Fifty years later, it had a full set of monetary institutions, including a central bank whose structure is much the same today. Further, it had enough experience to know both the promise and the pitfalls of monetary control. How did the nation's…

Previous studies have focused on how well students are learning economics, how teachers are trained, and other outcomes associated with improved understanding of economics. However, almost nothing is reported in the research literature on economics teachers' views of the curriculum, how they teach their subject, their views on public issues, and…

History matters. It matters not only because people can learn from the past, but because the present and the future are connected to the past by the continuity of a society's institutions. Today and tomorrow's choices are shaped by the past. And the past can be made intelligible only as a story of institutional evolution. This story focuses on the…

This teacher's guide is part of a 2-volume set presenting economic reasoning as it might be taught and practiced in upper-elementary and middle school classrooms. The book explains and illustrates a particular approach to reasoning and shows students how to use this approach to think about problems and to imagine solutions for them. Seventeen…

This teacher's guide is part of a 2-volume set presenting economic reasoning as it might be taught and practiced in secondary school classrooms. The book explains and illustrates a particular approach to reasoning and shows students how to use this approach to think about problems and to imagine solutions. Thirty-five mysteries (problems) are…

Jean Piaget's cognitive theory was used to investigate the economic reasoning of children and adolescents. Findings indicate student reasoning becomes more abstract, other directed, and flexible with increasing age; five concepts are prerequisites to understanding other economic concepts; and the rate at which economic reasoning develops varies by…

The purpose of this article is to: (1) Examine the historical development of the Federal Reserve System; (2) Provide background on Ben Bernanke, the new Fed chairman; (3) Explain the basic tools of monetary policy used by the Fed; (4) Examine the causes of the Great Depression, a topic of special interest to Bernanke; and (5) Provide some key…

In this article, the authors contend that progressive theory, in particular Muzak Progressivism, as it has been adapted and institutionalized in schools has created a class of homeless social studies teachers. They are the social studies teachers who love their disciplines and seek to reach their students through disciplinary instruction, not…

In response to the perceived uneasiness about the state of citizenship education in public schools, the article focuses on various studies and reports on political illiteracy, examines the isolation of most social studies programs from the community, views the role of students in the community, and recommends that students be more actively…

Some of the advantages of using computer simulations in social studies are examined, and criteria to help social studies teachers select worthwhile social studies simulations are discussed. (RM)

Elementary and secondary students do not consider social studies to be very important because it has little meaning for their future lives. Students do not find social studies particularly interesting. They feel that both social studies subject matter and teaching methods are boring. (RM)

Discusses how advisory committees can be used to improve communication between teachers and college professors concerning teacher education needs in the social studies. Guidelines for establishing a program advisory committee are included. (AM)

Replicates a 1989 study on the instructional effectiveness of social studies teachers who also are athletic coaches. Results indicate that coaching teachers are more innovative in teaching methods than noncoaching teachers. Calls for additional replication studies on this issue. (CFR)

Discusses differences between young peoples' perspectives of the social world and those offered by social science. Summarizes the economic thinking of young people and argues that economics presents students with an important perspective for social analysis. Provides three "economic mysteries" that introduce economic principles into the classroom.…

The rhetoric of political campaigns is loaded with references about the economy. Terms such as unemployment, recession, and GDP are often used carelessly, without regard to definitions or qualifications. That makes economists cringe and is a special problem for social studies teachers who are expected to know about such things. In this article,…