Sixty years ago, Congress designated May 1 as the official date for Law Day, an annual celebration of the rule of law and a chance to learn together how our legal process works. Over the past six decades, numerous education and civic organizations have led programs and shared resources for students, educators, and the general public to participate in learning about how our government and legal process functions, and has evolved over the past centuries. Law and law-related education are important social studies disciplines to NCSS every day of the year, and we are excited to highlight the rule…

National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) invites you to join us from July 12-13, 2021, for its Summer Leadership Institute (SLI), Think Global - Act Local! As COVID-19 continues to affect us globally and unite us in efforts to combat the pandemic, we have noticed the need to also reconnect locally to create meaningful contributions to our communities. This year’s two-day SLI event will showcase ways to build strong connections between NCSS state, regional, and local councils and community organizations who share similar visions to advocate for and promote the social studies…

Welcome to the latest edition of our Rho Kappa E-Newsletter! As a chapter advisor, you are a key part of a special community of over 750 educators with possibly the best position in the entire school: advising a student honor society for the social studies! We are in the scramble to conclude a most unusual school year in many parts of the country, and your chapter’s students are completing projects and possibly preparing for graduation. We hope this edition of our newsletter gives you a little insight into what’s happening throughout our Rho Kappa chapter network, and some interesting ideas…

A number of education theorists propose that promoting civic engagement in classrooms is essential to supporting children in learning how to participate in shaping decisions that affect their lives. Müge Olğun Baytaş and Stephanie Schroeder examine civic education with younger students and note that early childhood and elementary educators can take a leading role in fostering civic engagement and agency with even the youngest of children. The authors share an approach where children’s literature can be used to introduce young children to the concept of citizenship as active civic and…

Scott M. Waring In the opening article of this issue, “Cultivating Civic Engagement in the Early Grades with Culturally Appropriate Children’s Literature,” Müge Olğun Baytaş and Stephanie Schroeder, examine civic education with younger students. They note that early childhood and elementary educators can take a leading role in fostering civic engagement and agency with even the youngest of children. The authors share an approach where children’s literature can be used to introduce young children to the concept of citizenship as active civic and community engagement. A presenter at the…

NCSS is currently accepting applications to serve on the Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society Advisory Council. If you have a desire to help shape the future of Rho Kappa, we encourage you to apply! Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society and Junior Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society are the only national organizations for middle school and high school students recognizing excellence in the field of social studies.  Members of the Advisory Council must currently be a full-time middle school or high school teacher whose primary teaching…

Summer Leadership The school year is winding down and communities nationwide are planning a “return to normal” next fall. After 14 months (and counting) of a global pandemic, and with the very structure of school continually evolving through technology, the “normal” of education leadership has likely been permanently redefined. Your role as a social studies leader is both more complex and challenging, yet full of new possibilities we did not conceive of merely a year ago. Your role may be scrutinized in the public eye, as social studies is the increasing focus of state and federal…