As I write this message, our global society has undergone rapid transformations in how we live, work, and play – all in the span of a few weeks. When I wrap my head around these changes, I begin to wonder which will endure, and how they will impact our civic life, our general human connections, and our roles, responsibilities, and values. Closer to home, NCSS has also transformed in quick succession. A few years ago, our staff expanded a flexible work policy in which most of us telework about 1-2 days per week. On Monday, March 16, we began to fully telework with plans to follow common state…

Call for Applications Editor of Social Studies and the Young Learner  The five-year term of the current Editor of Social Studies and the Young Learner, is ending in the summer of 2021. The Editor is a volunteer who is willing to assume a significant leadership position among elementary educators. The Editor plans issues, solicits articles, organizes the manuscript review process, and cooperates with NCSS publications staff to produce a high-quality journal. The duration of this unpaid, professional service position is five years. The new Editor would join the notable…

Call for Expertise Social Studies and the Young Learner Editor Selection Committee  The Editor of Social Studies and the Young Learner (SSYL) is a five-year position held by an NCSS member who is a leading NCSS elementary educator. The SSYL Editor plans issues, solicits articles, organizes the manuscript review process, and cooperates with NCSS publications staff to produce a high-quality journal. The principal NCSS staff support is provided by (1) a part-time NCSS editorial staff member, who is the Senior Editor responsible for the content editing, copy…

“What is true of all the evils in the world is true of plague as well.  It helps men to rise above themselves.” -- Albert Camus, The Plague (1947) As I listened to my morning briefing on NPR while preparing breakfast for my family, a morning ritual now that we are sheltering in place, I heard remarks by Queen Elizabeth II from a rare televised address from Sunday evening: “I hope in the years to come, everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge, and those who come after us will say that the Britons of this generation were as strong as any.”  These words…

I hope you and your communities are keeping safe as many of us continue adjusting to work, recreation, and life mostly at home, and increasingly online. I posted my last message nearly a month ago, which feels like a lifetime ago. At that time, I shared plans to move upcoming NCSS meetings online to keep members and staff safe as most of the country began to shelter in place. Since then, we have also moved forward to move major summer programs online. Our work has evolved now from ensuring that all NCSS members, staff, and partners are safe, healthy, and informed of proper guidelines to…

Silver Spring, MD -- On Thursday, April 23, 2020, results were released from the 2018 administration of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Grade 8 Assessments in Civics, Geography, and U.S. History.  The percentage of Grade 8 students who demonstrated proficiency in content knowledge and skills was 24% in Civics, 25% in Geography, and 15% in U.S. History. Overall scores in 2018, while not significantly different from 2014, indicated an across-subject decline. Trends across years document stagnant scores in Civics with U.S. History and Geography scores falling to or below…

On Thursday, April 23, 2020, results were released from the 2018 administration of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Grade 8 Assessments in Civics, Geography, and U.S. History. On Monday, April 27, 2020, NCSS offered a public response to the released NAEP results. The media’s reporting of “dismal” outcomes has garnered much negative press for social studies and has portrayed the field as inadequately preparing citizens. NAEP is a policy tool frequently evoked to reform or radically change K-12 education; yet, the results are often harmfully conflated and frequently…

National Teacher Appreciation Week may be coming to a close, but your NCSS team wants to express how much we appreciate and support you – every day of the year! Now more than ever, thank you for all you do to make a lasting difference in every child’s life. Thanks to your hard work every day, NCSS can achieve its vision that students will be educated and inspired for lifelong inquiry and informed civic action. This week, we invited you to share #WhyITeach. Here are a few wonderful responses we wanted to share with you:   We are proud to serve you. Thank you for your membership. -The…

Calling all NCSS members! In 2019, we shared the exciting news with you that the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) was generously awarded grant funding from the Library of Congress as part of the Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program. Under this grant, NCSS is partnering with the Library of Congress to develop digital resources for use in teacher candidate programs to demonstrate the effectiveness of teaching with primary sources and the College, Career, and Civic Life ("C3") Framework's Inquiry Arc. We are creating two online methods texts entitled …

1. Thank you for joining us today! Tell us a little about yourself and your motivations for becoming an educator. It has been said that “Little girls who dream, become women with vision.”  I can’t say that I spent my entire life dreaming of becoming a teacher. But, what I can tell you is that since the day I decided to become a social studies teacher, I have dedicated myself to being a great one. Fall of 1992, I transferred to Elmira College as a junior. I had been at the satellite campus of Syracuse University and decided to come back home. My parents had moved to Elmira,…