Many readers may recall that this author wrote an open letter to President Obama in 2010 where he took issue with the emphasis on math and science education resulting in the marginalization of social studies and citizenship. In this column, he has selected and written about websites that focus on the election process. The author hopes this will…

In this article, C. Frederick Risinger begins by describing insights from an article entitled, "Trapped in the Bubble." It reported on a doctoral student's study (along with other students and faculty in Indiana University's School of Informatics) which demonstrated that the more people rely on social media such as Facebook, Twitter,…

The juxtaposition of the 2012 national elections and the marginalization of social studies/citizenship education in the pre-K-12 school curriculum has been both coincidental, and, in a way, an opportunity for social studies teachers, supervisors, and teacher educators to find ways to restore creative classroom instruction about history,…

Those who have followed this column know that the author has been talking for a long time about the marginalization of social studies in K-12 curriculum. He strongly believes that the effective teaching of social studies is being pushed out of schools. And that's simply wrong and dangerous. In this article, the author offers some websites that he…

The author truly believes that the marginalization of social studies is not only harming the profession, it is jeopardizing the democracy. But if social studies is in jeopardy, consider the colleagues in the arts and music. Art and music programs have been reduced or eliminated in thousands of schools throughout the nation. Marginalizing art and…

The national common educational standards and the role of citizenship education is an important issue for all social studies educators--preK through college. This article presents websites that examine the Common Core Standards Initiative's work and plans for the future and some that focus more specifically on the social studies/citizenship…

This article presents an open letter to President Barack Obama written by the author to express his concerns about the increasing emphasis on mathematics and science education along with the continued emphasis on reading/language arts while a fourth major curriculum area--social studies--is being marginalized by lack of funding and reduced…

In this article, the author addresses classroom teachers, department heads, and supervisors who have direct contact with students and what they learn. They need to tell students, parents, policymakers, and everyone else that social studies is critical and that the NCSS mission statement is not just a nice set of words, but absolutely crucial to…

This digest discusses "Lessons From History," the report of the National Center for History in the Schools at the University of California, Los Angeles. The report provides a rationale for the study of history throughout the K-12 curriculum and specifies core ideas, themes, and topics that undergird both content and performance standards…

Presents the presidential address of the 1990 National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) annual meeting. Contends the current debate over social studies curriculum should continue to examine a variety of curriculum models. Argues the source of curriculum content should reside in the citizenry. Maintains educators must redirect their energies…

Provides an annotated bibliography of materials from the ERIC database concerning citizenship education. The materials include monographs, academic research articles, conference papers, and articles from education magazines. Includes information on ordering and accessing these materials. (MJP)

This document discusses several aspects of teaching about religion in the public schools. While religion is an important element in many areas of literature, art, and music, the social studies, especially history and civics, provide the best opportunity for including religion in the curriculum. Teaching about religion in public schools is examined…

Focuses on the resources that the Internet brings to teaching social or controversial issues in the social studies classroom by listing Web sites and describing how to search for the information. Lists Web sites that help students learn to evaluate Internet resources. Provides information on portal Web sites. (CMK)

Presents a brief annotated bibliography of seven resources addressing citizenship education cited in the ERIC database. The sources are primarily educational journal articles which consider the impact and use of citizenship education in various curricula and formats. Includes information for ordering copies of the articles. (MJP)

Contends that U.S. educational change is characterized by several factors including rapid demographic shifts, new research into the nature of teaching and learning, and dissatisfaction with students' achievement on national tests. Includes an annotated bibliography of 16 ERIC articles and documents on the topic. (CFR)