Social Studies in the New Education Policy Era

Paul G. Fitchett, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USAKevin W. Meuwissen, University of Rochester, USA

• Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION: Social studies in the new education policy era: Introducing conversations on purposes, perspectives, and practicesSection I - Purposes: The uncomfortable gap between what social studies purports to do and how it is positioned in K-12 educationCHAPTER 1: "Why are there disparities among the general public, policymakers, and social studies educators relative to the aims of the social studies curriculum, and what should be done about them?"CHAPTER 2: "To what extent are social studies standards useful and consequential as policy tools at state, district, and classroom levels?"CHAPTER 3: "How might policy tools and activities contribute to reprioritizing social studies education in elementary-level curriculum and instruction?"Section II - Perspectives: Disciplinary viewpoints on social studies education policyCHAPTER 4: "Can education policies be effective tools for encouraging youth civic engagement and activism in schools?"CHAPTER 5: "How and to what extent does education policy unite the discipline of history to the academic subject of social studies, and is this a fruitful union?"CHAPTER 6: "What is the potential impact of the C3 as a policy tool on curriculum development in traditionally underrepresented social studies disciplines?" Section III - Practices: How policy impacts the enactment of curriculum and instruction in the social studiesCHAPTER 7: "Should a stronger policy emphasis be placed on domain-specific high-leverage practices or core practices in history/social studies teaching?"CHAPTER 8: "What kinds of assessment policies, practices, and tools do social studies learners and teachers deserve, and why?"CHAPTER 9: "What roles should federal and/or state departments of education play in social studies learning, teaching, and curriculum?"Section IV - Advocacy: Policy activity and activism among teachers, teacher educators, and researchers in the social studiesCHAPTER 10: "What policy priorities should social studies education, as a field, advocate, and why?"CHAPTER 11: "How might public policy engagement and political activism be situated within social studies teacher education programs?"CHAPTER 12: "What can the field of social studies education learn from policy research and reform in other domains?"

'In Social Studies in the New Education Policy Era, Editors Paul Fitchett and Kevin Meuwissen pose significant policy-related questions to 22 social studies scholars and professionals. The result is a series of engaging and thought-provoking conversations between pairs of contributors about the past, current, and potential role of policies and political actors in social studies education. The lively dialogue between contributors reveals shared and divergent perspectives, and often suggests the complexity of policy in relation to impacts and contexts. In-depth conversations focused on policy and policy advocacy in social studies are rare; I believe the informative and spirited dialogue in this book will serve as the basis for much needed further discussion among all who care about the future of social studies education.' — Patricia G. Avery, Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Minnesota