The author proposes that today's existing, world-wide curriculum--based on offering roughly the same math, language arts, science, and social studies to all--is not what is required for the future, and is hurting rather than helping the world's students. Math, language arts, science, and social studies, he argues, are really "proxies"…

This article addresses how far educational institutions have come in designing authentic and meaningful curricula for teaching the Holocaust at the secondary level. Examined in this article are the historical development of Holocaust education in the United States, with a focus on the state of Illinois as a case study, what contributes to the…

In November 2004, State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick convened the Maryland Social Studies Task Force. The Task Force was charged with examining issues related to social studies education and recommending ways to improve social studies instruction in Maryland's public schools. The Task Force formed four Subcommittees, each examining…

As the issue of school reform grows ever more intense, it is imperative that we learn what we can from previous efforts. The new social studies was a 1960's attempt to transform the teaching of history and the social sciences in schools. With origins in the Cold War, the movement sought to develop critical thinkers through "inquiry" and…

Instead of piling on one new reform fad after another, here at last is a book that boils down solutions for improved schools to the most powerful, simple actions and structures that ensure you prepare all students for college, careers, and citizenship. Best-selling ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) author and renowned…

This article critically examines the recommendations of two major Indian education reports--NCFSE 2000 and NCF 2005--prepared by the National Council of Educational Research and Training in India. The NCFSE 2000 has recommended an integrated teaching of geography as one component of the social studies. The NCF 2005 has reverted to the pre-NCFSE…

In August 2006, Australia's conservative prime minister John Howard convened a history summit in Canberra. The purported goal of the summit was the framing of a nationally-acceptable curriculum in Australian history. However, as this article suggests, Howard's hidden intention was to use the summit as a device for introducing a narrowly…

The "Multiple Intelligences, Curriculum and Assessment Project" at University College Cork was a collaborative project carried out between 1995 and 1999. The key research question focused on whether Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences could be applied to, and enhance, aspects of curriculum and assessment at primary and…

Discusses diffusion problems of new social studies curriculum materials, exploring roles of external and internal agents of change. Recommends that subject specialists, curriculum designers, evaluators, and educational sociologists cooperate with teachers to diffuse materials. (CK)

The historical development of curriculum materials in the social studies is outlined. Principles offering the potential to effect major changes are described and a set of guidelines for a rational social studies curriculum is established. (JMF)

The process and outcome of revisions in the training of prospective secondary level social studies teachers are reviewed. (ND)

Although needed reforms of the social studies curriculum have been identified, recommendations for procedures for achieving these reforms are lacking. The author offers practical and simple steps to take in three areas: scope, sequence, and classroom realities. (Author/JM)

Argues that social studies educational reforms fail because their goals of promoting active citizenship education through the social studies curriculum are inconsistent with citizenship educational functions of the school. Identifies conditions which encourage and inhibit change and recommends change strategies. (Author/KC)

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 paper describes possible approaches to career education in the social studies curriculum and suggests criteria for decision-making strategies and assessing readiness for change. The first section describes roles of career education in social studies which range from doing nothing to replacing the total present content with career education.…