“Social studies is like the lima beans on the curricular plate of the elementary student’s day,” said Paul Fitchett, associate professor and director of curriculum and instruction for the doctoral program in education at University of North Carolina at Charlotte. ![]() Social studies in the early grades was especially affected by that legislation: kindergarten through second grade became reading, writing and math crunch time in preparation for the testing that begins in third grade. Time spent teaching social studies has declined in the last two decades, particularly since the 2001 passage of No Child Left Behind, which favored a focus on math, reading and accountability as a way of addressing the country’s growing achievement gap between rich and poor children. ![]() “Most states either don’t test social studies, or the social studies test doesn’t really count toward adequate yearly progress.” ![]() ![]() “Ultimately, we can’t prepare children for living in a rich, diverse democracy if we don’t expose them to the controversial topics inherent in our democracy.” “Without social studies, we lose the civic mission of public schools,” said Stephanie Serriere, a former early-grade teacher who is now an associate professor of social studies education at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |