Student grades and student evaluations of teacher performance are unrelated. Demographic variables, e.g., student interest, class rank, are significantly related to instructor ratings. A teacher's overall rating is directly influenced by ability to stimulate interest and present course matter clearly, and indirectly influenced by organization and…

The components presented in this document are general and specific recommendations for improving instruction about the Constitution, including revised versions of the seven conference papers. The papers are: "Society's Expectations for School Instruction about the Constitution: An Historical Overview" (R. Freeman Butts); "What Youth…

The founding fathers of the United States were products of a classical education, and they used the Greek and Roman classics as republican models and classical virtues. In their writings, the founders frequently associated liberty and republicanism with the ancient commonwealths. John Adams spoke on three separate occasions of the need to reflect…

Testimony concerning the Supreme Court decisions in the case of Grove City College v. Bell (1984) is presented in this document. The Courts ruling that Federal aid to a student constitutes funding only of the college's student air program, nor the entire institution, reflected the more persuasive reading of the Title IX Education Amendments,…

The total population of the United States including the Armed Forces overseas was 241,596,000 on July 1, 1986. The median age of the population rose from 30.0 years on April 1, 1980, to 31.8 years on July 1, 1986, while the fastest growing segments of the population between 1980 and 1986 were the groups aged 35 to 44 years and 85 years and over.…

The paper discusses the pressure on social studies teachers to teach about the United States Constitution during its bicentennial period and offers ideas to improve instruction about the document. After reviewing the inappropriateness of memorization of the document and suggesting that its content be organized to focus on its major concepts and…

Presents findings of an exploration of 258 elementary education majors' knowledge of U.S. government. Reports that students responded correctly to about 53 percent of test items. Indicates that students knew the most about guarantees of liberty and least about governmental powers. Questions the students' ability to teach about the ways the U.S.…

As a result of participating in an American government course, 12th graders showed a marked improvement in citizenship knowledge and in their opinions toward political institutions and participation. These changes seem to be related to several factors, including teaching methods such as class discussion and simulation, and the use of newspapers.…

Maintains that Albert Bushnell Hart was a leading figure in history education. Discusses his contributions to history's emergence as a modern school subject and to its inclusion as a core component of the school curriculum. (CFR)

Between 1976 and 1982, teenagers improved their performance on citizenship/social studies items measuring political knowledge and attitudes--13-year-olds by nearly three percentage points and 17-year-olds by about two percentage points. Results for the various population groups indicated that improvements tended to be greater for lower achieving…

Examines the views of six former U.S. Presidents (Washington, Jefferson, Jackson, Andrew Johnson, Grant, and Eisenhower) about their presidential role, federalism, and issues of their time that are still relevant today. Includes a paragraph for each President that provides a social and historical context. (CFR)

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate four social studies textbooks recently under consideration for use by the Memphis (Tennessee) City Public Schools. The textbooks, chosen at random, are: "World Geography: A Physical and Cultural Study" (de Blij and others, Scott Foresman, 1989); "A History of the United States" (Boorstin…

Thirteen authors reflect on different ideas of communitarianism and citizenship and on the ways those ideas find application in the fields of education, politics, and social welfare. Looking beyond communitarian ideology, the volume offers a more detailed discussion of citizenship in contemporary society. The essays are: (1) "Beyond…

Peace education can be introduced into the curriculum through adoption or development of appropriate materials, networking, development programs at the local level, and workshops for educators, parents, administrators and the general citizenry. A status report on the integration of peace education into the curriculum completed in 1985 by Carole…

The U.S. public high school should return to a core curriculum which is defined as a broad consensus on the basic information and skills to which most young students should have been exposed by the time they graduate from high school. The duty of educators is to teach the skills and general information that enable educated persons to continue…