This article traces how Mexican American Studies (MAS) scholar activists led and supported a statewide movement for MAS in Texas. As a Xicana feminist scholar activist, Saldan~a draws from her retrospective memory and personal archive of organizational notes, movement documents, personal testimonies before the State Board of Education, and photos,…

Three of the most emotionally charged terms in this era are "race," "racism," and "White privilege." Definitions for these terms vary by individual experiences, beliefs, opinions, and perceptions. K-20 students are rarely exposed to a detailed coverage and critical analysis of the part of U.S. history that includes genocide, territorial…

The question of why students think there are two kinds of American history taught--one in the K-12 system and one in the university system--can be examined critically using Emile Durkheim's (1973) description of the sacred and the profane. The history taught in K-12 classrooms often focuses on idealized accounts of the past that protect the status…

This framework identifies the main ideas, major events, key individuals, and unifying themes of American history as a basis for preparing the 2010 assessment. The framework recognizes that U.S. history includes powerful ideas, common and diverse traditions, economic developments, technological and scientific innovations, philosophical debates,…

Contends that, during the past generation, a new social history that concerns itself with the lives of ordinary people has changed history research and teaching. Describes an eight-unit college course in the history of United States sports. Includes a selected bibliography of books for students and teachers. (CFR)

Reports on the history and development of courses on American studies and history in Israeli higher education. Concludes that learning about the United States is deeply embedded in the Israeli university, and U.S. historians have an important role in advancing that study. (CFR)

Describes the development and evolution of college-level history courses on U.S. western history. Discusses historical resources used in the courses and topics for student discussion. Concludes that the 20th-century west can be used as the foundation for a thematic approach to history instruction. (CFR)

An alternative to the traditional history survey course, which is becoming less and less popular, is described. The goal of this project is to shift the emphasis from coverage of content to the development of skills necessary to understand that content. This particular project focused on colonial America, which covers a portion of the first of…

Analyzes problems confronted when integrating women into U.S. history textbooks and college survey courses. Reviews feminist scholarship to examine how women's experiences have differed from men's throughout U.S. history. Although acknowledging the importance of exploring these differences, argues scholars also must investigate women's…

This document provides a guide for the development of the 2006 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) U.S. History Assessment. NAEP measures the U.S. history knowledge and skills of students in grades 4, 8, and 12. According to the NAEP U.S. history framework, the assessment should be organized around three dimensions: historical themes,…

A set of nine teacher-prepared Learning Activity Packages for individualized instruction at the eleventh grade level in United States history includes the following units: Development of an Effective National Government; the Growth of Nationalism and Democracy, 1800-1840; Sectional Differences Lead to Civil War; Reconstruction and Growth in the…

Maintains that, because of its importance in modern U.S. history, over 300 college courses are taught on the Vietnam War. Asserts that studying the war helps students develop critical thinking skills needed for citizenship. Describes the texts, formats, and assignments used in a college sociology course on the Vietnam War. (CFR)

Describes the personal development of a private-school teacher involved in course restructuring in U.S. history. Lists and discusses the use of seven themes as the basis for the course. Concludes that history, more than any other subject, is linked to personal identity. (CFR)

This document reports on a summer institute for 20 secondary school history teachers from the central Virginia public school community. Emphasis at the institute was on the fact that historically, as well as morally, all people are important. This idea is the basis for the "new social history" that tends to start with everyday experience. Because…

A set of nine teacher-prepared Learning Activity Packages for individualized instruction at the eleventh grade level in United States History includes the following units: Development of an Effective National Government; The Growth of Nationalism and Democracy, 1800-1840; Sectional Differences Lead to Civil War; Reconstruction and Growth in the U.…