Building Strong Foundations: The Research Case for Elementary Social Studies

There’s a movement growing to reinvigorate and reimagine social studies in the elementary grades. But what does the research say about the need and current infrastructure for early social studies education? What are the best practices for implementing social studies in schools and districts? Join us as we explore the research-based case for elementary social studies. Moderated by Shanti Elangovan, CEO and Founder of inquirED, and featuring the following panelists: Julia Kauffman, Senior Policy Researcher, RAND Corp; Natalie Wexler, Journalist and Author; Sam Wineburg, Founder, Stanford History Education Group; Steven Kidd, Social Studies Instructional Lead, Cherry Creek School District.

Panelists

Shanti Elangovan

Shanti Elangovan is the founder and CEO of inquirED, an education startup focused on ensuring all students, regardless of geography or circumstance, have the opportunity to engage in high-quality inquiry-based learning. As a former elementary school classroom teacher and instructional coach, Shanti believes deeply in high-quality instructional materials that provide both the professional learning and support teachers need to bring inquiry to life in their classrooms. Shanti holds an M.Ed from Teachers College as well as an MBA from the University of Iowa.

Julia Kauffman

Julia H. Kaufman is the Associate Research Department Director for the Behavioral and Policy Sciences Department and a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. She also codirects the RAND American Educator Panels. Her research focuses on how states and school systems can support high-quality instruction and student learning, as well as methods for measuring educator perceptions and instruction. She has led studies in a range of areas from the implementation of K–12 state standards and curriculum materials to factors that support adult and child civic literacy, identity, and engagement. Kaufman has also led studies to investigate the implementation, outcomes, and costs associated with pipelines for preparing, hiring, and supporting high-quality school leaders and teachers. Lastly, she has done considerable work to develop innovative measures of instructional practice, including measures of student-centered learning and teachers' mathematics instruction. Kaufman holds a Ph.D. in international education from New York University and an M.A. in teaching from the University of Pittsburgh.

Natalie Wexler

Natalie Wexler is an education writer and the author of The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America’s Broken Education System—And How to Fix It (Avery 2019). She is also the co-author, with Judith C. Hochman, of The Writing Revolution: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in All Subjects and Grades (Jossey-Bass, 2017). Natalie’s articles and essays on education and other topics have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, the MIT Technology Review, The American Scholar, and other publications. She has spoken on education before a wide variety of groups and appeared on a number of TV and radio shows, including Morning Joe and NPR’s On Point and 1A. She holds a BA from Harvard University, an MA in history from the University of Sussex (UK), and a JD from the University of Pennsylvania, and she has worked as a reporter, a Supreme Court law clerk, a lawyer, and a legal historian.

Sam Wineburg

Sam Wineburg is the founder and Executive Director of the Stanford History Education Group and Stanford's Ph.D. program in History Education. He also oversees the M.A. program for future history teachers. His scholarship has been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, the New Yorker, and on NPR and C-SPAN. In 2003 his book, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past, received the Frederic W. Ness Award from the Association of American Colleges and Universities for the most important contribution to "improvement of Liberal Education and understanding the Liberal Arts."

Steven Kidd

Steven Kidd works for the Cherry Creek School District in the Denver Metro Area. Steven is currently the PK-12 Performance Improvement Partner for Social Studies. Prior to this role, he spent time as an Instructional Facilitator and as the Social Studies Content Coordinator for Cherry Creek Schools. Before serving as a district administrator, he taught middle and high school social studies for 17 years and served as a middle school Dean of Students. He studied at Colorado State University-Pueblo and Metropolitan State College of Denver, earning a bachelor's degress in history and teaching certification. He also holds a Master's Degress in Innovative Educational Leadership from Regis Jesuit University.