This article addresses the question of how difference has been dealt with by the social studies curriculum since its formal inauguration as part of American schooling in the early twentieth century. Over the last hundred years, cultural and ideological differences have played a large role in defining how Americans interpret citizenship education,…

In 1930, Rugg and his associates published "History of American Civilization: Economic and Social" followed in 1931 by "A History of American Government and Culture." By examining the preface of these two works, one is able to gain insight into the philosophic basis of the textbook series. These two volumes represented a complete and unified…

This article, discusses the rationale for using films, specifically docudramas, for teaching social studies and presents guidelines and resources for helping teachers to do so. Included are several Web resources that assist teachers in the selection and use of specific films to complement classroom instruction. The author has also incorporated the…

The events of September 11, 2001, provoked an awakening of patriotic sentiment in Americans from all walks of life. Reflecting representation from the most diverse of political, social, and economic quarters, this patriotic movement included most everyone from across the spectrum, from politicians, religious leaders, and teachers on the one hand,…

The Rhode Island State House in Providence is an imposing structure. It is also an architecturally significant one. Built of white Georgia marble between 1895 and 1904, it has one of only four self-supporting marble covered domes found in the world. It was placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. Looking around, one encounters…

With 3 years and counting since its inception, the scope and impact of "No Child Left Behind" is now being felt in classrooms across the nation. Although some successes have been identified, concerns about the implementation and expectations of the legislation are emerging. As a result of the legislation's emphasis on the development of…

In light of Martin Rochester's questioning of his earlier article, in this article the author clarifies his positions and reiterates his belief in the essential connection between public education and the viability of democracy. He does thank Martin Rochester for his interest in "Teaching Against Idiocy." However, in this article, he addresses…

In the middle decades of the 20th century, Hilda Taba played a prominent role in efforts to help American schoolchildren develop the cognitive skills and values necessary to think democratically. Drawing on the principles of progressive education and on social psychological and cognitive developmental theory, Taba directed Intergroup Education in…

The objectives of this article are, first, to capture the main camps and patterns of the "social studies wars" since the beginning of the twentieth century and, second, to describe critical episodes from that long history that will help put the contemporary controversies in historical perspective. Here, the author features six critical episodes…

This paper provides information about Louisiana's Graduation Exit Examination, a comprehensive standards-based exam. The purpose of the exam is to: (1) Provide schools with student academic diagnostic information; (2) Determine prospective high school graduates' mastery of the state curriculum; (3) Encourage districts and schools to identify and…

Low high school graduation rates continue to be a challenge in American public education. The pressure to meet the demands of adequate yearly progress (AYP) under the No Child Left behind Act of 2001 has led to an achievement gap in student performance between science and other core subjects, namely English, math, and social studies, on the…

Multiple intelligences, with its hypothesis and implementation, have ascended to a prominent status among the many instructional methodologies. Meanwhile, pedagogical theories and concepts are in need of more alternative and interactive assessments to prove their prevalence (Kinugasa, Yamashita, Hayashi, Tominaga, & Yamasaki, 2005). In general,…

This handbook was developed for high school teachers looking for new sources of timely information and ways to make courses more engaging and relevant to students. The American Community Survey (ACS) provides a wide online array of social, economic, and demographic information about the nation, states, and local communities. These data can be…

The study is to examine if preservice teachers improve their social studies teaching and learning when they follow a structured and guided methods course based on the four-step social studies teaching cycle. The four steps are 1) preinstructional exploration, 2) assessment development, 3) instructional development, and 4) reflective extension. The…

In this case study, the authors describe and analyze social studies education in 13 classrooms across six elementary schools in the Midwest. Reading and reading achievement dominated instructional time and intent across the schools. In the primary grades, social studies was pre-empted by reading, often relegated to an explanatory story note. In…