What is the role of the Rho Kappa Advisory Council? The role of the Advisory Council is to promote the creation of chapters across the United States and the world and to further the mission of NCSS and Rho Kappa in promoting social studies, social service and community awareness. How did you first become involved with Rho Kappa? I attended the 2011 NCSS Conference in Washington, DC with two of my colleagues. There were large banners throughout the conference center promoting this new national social studies honor society. I was immediately intrigued and…

Abraham Lincoln’s papers from his time as a lawyer, congressman and the 16th president are now online in full color in a new presentation after a multi-year digitization effort at the Library of Congress. This collection includes Lincoln’s Inaugural Addresses, Draft of Emancipation Proclamation among more than 40,000 documents dating from 1774 through Lincoln’s presidency and beyond. There are materials from his campaigns, Lincoln’s first and second inaugural addresses and the earliest known copies of the Gettysburg Address. The more than 20,000 original documents in the collection have been…

A Current Events Response by National Council for the Social Studies April 17, 2023  It is the vision of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) to realize a world in which all students are educated and inspired for lifelong inquiry and informed civic action. Legislative action in multiple states leading to banned books and limits on what teachers can teach directly threatens this vision. In order for all students to be educated and inspired, NCSS firmly believes that any legislation that limits what can be taught in the social studies classroom is detrimental to all learners. As…

The Social Studies Professional e-newsletter (TSSP) proudly serves subscribers twice a month with news, resources, and tools for social studies educators. TSSP receives hundreds of requests annually to publish various content types and strives to provide relevant and timely updates for our subscribers   Please send your content items for consideration to tssp@ncss.org. General publication guidelines for TSSP are listed below. NCSS reserves the right to not publish offers, announcements, or notices that, in NCSS' sole discretion, are not aligned to the NCSS mission or serve members’…

Teaching World Religions in Middle School Also: Change-oriented Citizenship

Please read the guidelines below as you prepare your paper for Social Education, Middle Level Learning, or Social Studies and the Young Learner. Then submit your work online at www.editorialmanager.com/ncssjournals. After registering, you’ll receive an email with a temporary user ID and password. Follow the steps for uploading a manuscript, title page, figures, tables, or graphics.   Social Education, a peer-reviewed journal, invites author submissions of the following kinds: Substantive articles in anthropology, archaeology, civics, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political…

All NCSS awards and grants information can be found here. Elementary Teacher of the Year  Teresa Roets Thornell Road Elementary School  Pittsford, NY  Teresa Roets is a kindergarten teacher in the Pittsford Central School District, New York, known for her dedication, compassion, and innovative teaching methods. Her teaching philosophy centers on nurturing the holistic development of each child and instilling a sense of citizenship and civic responsibility. Ms. Roets is recognized as a leader in her school district and the broader New York State Social Studies community. She…

Novelist James Michener may well be the best-known public figure to have been a member of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). He began his teaching and educational career in 1929 as an English teacher, but he soon switched to teaching social studies. Michener taught in two private schools (at The George School in southeastern Pennsylvania, he participated in the Eight-Year Study of the Progressive Education Association) and then studied in Europe. In 1937, Michener accepted an appointment at College High School, the laboratory school for the Colorado State College of…

The 2017 Outstanding Social Studies Teachers of the Year are Katherine Hunter (Elementary), Erin Glenn (Middle Level), and Ryan New (Secondary), as heralded by Executive Director Larry Paska and awarded at the 97th NCSS Annual Conference in San Francisco. Read about all of the 2017 Award winners and Grant winners at https://www.socialstudies.org/awards/2017recipients. In this issue of TSSP, we interview Mr. New.       Q: Congratulations, Ryan New, on winning the 2017 Secondary Teacher of the Year Award from NCSS. Where do…

Linda Doornbos