While updating standards is done from time to time to reflect a changing world, content within them is ripe for ideological contestation as it reflects the official curriculum that schools follow; in the case of Social Studies education, standards hold the potential to impact students' understandings of civics and citizenship. Ambiguity…

This study explores social studies teachers' self-reported instruction about teaching the 2020 election in U.S. secondary schools. We analyzed survey responses from 1,723 secondary social studies teachers from 12 states (3 left-leaning, 3 right-leaning, 6 battleground) collected in the weeks after the election, examining self-reported pedagogies,…

There is growing international concern about the lack of civic engagement among the youth in many nations. These concerns have sparked renewed interest in the quantity and quality of civic education in public schools in the United States. The objective of this study is to determine if the concerns about civic education are about the sufficiency of…

This multiple case study examines how 4 social studies teachers in 2 private Islamic schools in Michigan understand the concept of citizenship education and the dilemmas they face in teaching for unity and diversity and in helping their students negotiate their civics identities within the American sociopolitical context. Data were collected…

There is no better site for political or democratic action than the school itself and the students' own community, according to educational philosopher John Dewey (1859-1952). Learning about local government provides students with authentic examples of democratic processes and institutions that shape their daily lives. Getting involved in local…

The authors describe how three elementary teachers working in very different parts of the United States teach about Mexico. These teachers' practices allow them to enhance the traditional social studies curriculum, help children learn about themselves and other people, and increase children's capacities for global citizenship. (Contains 1 figure.)

This curriculum guide presents the 25 standards that are indicators of responsible citizenship for Michigan students. The standards are pursued at every grade level of the curriculum. The standards are grouped into seven broad categories, called strands, and include: (1) historical perspective; (2) geographic perspective; (3) civic perspective;…

Identifies five "motives" behind law-related education. They are citizenship education, delinquency prevention, survival skills, critical thinking, and ethics education. Presents a brief survey designed to collect information about law-related education in the Michigan public schools. (JDH)

A pilot project was conducted to determine if there was evidence to support an experimental program for comparison with the current, conventional programs of 9th grade social studies in the East Lansing, Michigan schools. The experimental program was one in which students were introduced into the world of work and spheres of the citizen within the…

The purpose of this paper is to establish the position of the Michigan State Board of Education regarding the humanities through a definition and an explanation of the purposes of the humanities within the schools. The humanities are most clearly identified with philosophy, ethics, comparative religion, history and criticism of the arts. In the…

Defines Law-Related Education and describes its goals: citizenship and ethics education, delinquency prevention, teaching survival, and critical thinking skills. Justifies Law-Related Education's place in the social studies curriculum. (CH)

"Citizenship" is a quality that most Americans would agree should be promoted in the schools. "Values education," as we have seen, provokes controversy and the question "Whose values are you going to teach?" An acceptable response is: "Values of citizenship, American democratic values, and the values upon which…

Designed for middle school through high school students, this unit contains eight lesson plans that focus on Michigan state law. The state lessons correspond to lessons in the volume, "Antidote: Civic Responsibility. Drug Avoidance Lessons for Middle School & High School Students." Developed to be presented by educators, law student,…

One of a series of social studies curriculum guides, this publication outlines a fourth-grade course on Michigan and other regions. Material is presented in two parts. Part 1, an overview of the program, contains an introduction, a statement of philosophy, an outline of elementary level scope and sequence, a description of Michigan mandated…