In the fall of 2018, the NCSS Board of Directors created a new vision for the association, A world in which all students are educated and inspired for lifelong inquiry and informed civic action. To achieve this vision, it is imperative that we consider our shifting educational context.  In an era of activist voters, rising fear, anger, and isolation, issues-focus advocacy, purpose-driven engagement, digital civic spaces, and globally diverse interests, the ecology of social studies is changing. In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, civility, diversity,…

In the 2014 position statement, Study about Religions in the Social Studies Curriculum, National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) affirmed that study about religions is an essential part of the social studies curriculum.  On September 27, 2019, experts from various disciplines gathered at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., for a National Summit on Religion and Education, to discuss the past, present, and future of K-12 religious studies education in the United States. This summit was organized by the Religious Freedom Center of the Freedom Forum Institute, and was co-hosted by the…

Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, John G. Roberts, Jr., closed out the 2010s and welcomed the 2020s with powerful words in his 2019 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary: “Civic education, like all education, is a continuing enterprise and conversation. Each generation has an obligation to pass on to the next, not only a fully functioning government responsive to the needs of the people, but the tools to understand and improve it.”  Chief Justice Roberts describes the Judicial Branch’s use of its resources to support civic education nationwide, with numerous examples from…

In early 2020, the Religious Freedom Center of the Freedom Forum Institute in Washington, DC, and National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) released a white paper from the September 27, 2019 convening of a National Summit on Religion and Education. NCSS was a co-sponsor and co-convener of the Summit, which brought together experts and leaders in the fields of education, religious studies, social studies, and English language arts. As NCSS President, I had the opportunity to offer opening remarks and to lead small group discussions examining the past, present and future of K-12 religious…

Democracy demands wisdom of the average man. Without the exercise of wisdom free institutions and personal liberty are inevitably imperiled. To know the best that has been thought and said in former times can make us wiser than we otherwise might be, and in this respect the humanities are not merely our, but the world’s best hope. Commission on the Humanities, 1964 In 1965, President Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act, setting up the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Since 1965, both the NEH and…

NCSS: Thank you for taking the time to interview with us. Could you tell us about your involvement with NCSS over the years? Shakealia: I first learned of NCSS in 2007 while working as a high school economics teacher. The organization provided me with a community of social studies teachers from across the U.S. who could help me navigate my way through the curriculum as a new teacher. I attended the annual conferences as a way to connect with other social studies educators and find resources for the classroom. My connection with fellow social studies…

In this latest TSSP edition, NCSS is pleased to provide several instructional resources in honor of Black History Month. We first feature recent NCSS articles by our members and other contributors; share additional online instructional resources from several of our NCSS partners – including resources on the 150th anniversary of the 15th amendment; and link to recent podcasts from our collaborators at Visions of Education. These resources collectively can strengthen your classroom practice by offering all learners a deeper and more inclusive engagement in social studies inquiry. Yet, these are…

Thank you for joining us today! Could you tell us a little about your role at the U.S. Census Bureau? I lead the Statistics in Schools program at the U.S. Census Bureau. What is the Statistics in Schools program and how did the program start? Since 1950, the Census Bureau has had some sort of outreach effort around the decennial census to the educational community.  In between censuses, we often worked with teachers on finding data that they could use in the classroom. After the 2010 Census, the Census Bureau decided to keep the education program going in…

If we desire a society of peace, then we cannot achieve such a society through violence. If we desire a society without discrimination, then we must not discriminate against anyone in the process of building this society. If we desire a society that is democratic, then democracy must become a means as well as an end. -- Bayard Rustin As president of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), it is my responsibility to communicate directly and transparently with social studies teachers across the United States, to help educators better understand the various positions that NCSS…