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Parameters for Essential Instruction > Specific Content Area Resources > Social Studies > For Further Reading

For Further Reading

Why We Need to Save (and Strengthen) Social Studies

Amid the chorus of much-needed criticisms of the No Child Left Behind Act, hardly a note has been heard in the media about the “squeezing” of social studies, a significant consequence of the pressure to raise test scores in reading and mathematics. Only a tiny body of published research on the problem exists, but it, along with widespread anecdotal evidence, indicates that high-stakes accountability based on reading and math scores is marginalizing the social studies curriculum in elementary schools.  Full text at http://www.socialstudies.org/advocacy/Pace

Pace, J. (2007, September). Why We Nneed to Save (and Strengthen) Social Studies [Commentary]. Retrieved February 15, 2008, from http://www.socialstudies.org/advocacy/Pace 

 

Digging Deeper: Where Does the Public Stand on Standards-based Education?

NCLB was passed in response to the sense that there was a broad public mandate to address education issues. What we heard in our focus groups confirms that people are, indeed, concerned about education issues and generally support the kinds of standards, testing, and accountability provisions embodied in NCLB.  However, what we heard also suggests that people have a host of other concerns that standards-based reforms do not address. In short, the public appears to have an entirely different agenda for school reform than most educators and policymakers.  Full text at http://www.mcrel.org/topics/products/141/

Goodwin, B. (2003). Digging deeper: Where does the public stand on standards-based education? [Issues brief]. Aurora, CO: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.