Academic freedom is the freedom to inquire--to study, learn, teach, express, and debate ideas. Academic freedom is essential to education in a democracy, a professional responsibility of teachers, and the fundamental purpose for social education. These ideas occur in the traditional education literature. Academic freedom is not just a professional…

Recommends that a few behavioral objectives be included for skill development in many teacher education courses, but that behavioral objectives and competency-based teacher education be generally de-emphasized in favor of developing competent teachers. A framework for accomplishing educational improvement is presented. (Author/DB)

The freedom of teaching around 1935 is compared to academic freedom today. Unfortunately, today there remain serious restrictions on the freedom to teach and learn social studies. (RM)

Proposes a K-12 social studies curriculum designed to support a democratic civic culture with active participation of individuals in the improvement of society. Seeks to have students develop firm and thoughtful attachment to the core values of justice and equality. Provides a flexible sequence of conceptual themes to guide the curriculum at each…

The new criticism critiques root causes of existing educational conditions. Regardless of its internal disputes and divergences of opinion, the new criticism proposes a philosophic orientation to society and school and indicates changes in the practice of schooling and teaching. (RM)

The new criticism critiques root causes of existing educational conditions. This bibliography for K-12 social studies teachers cites material dealing with the new criticism as it has been utilized in understanding, interpreting, or criticizing social studies. (RM)

Reviews the 1974 statement on academic freedom of the National Council for the Social Studies and offers a rationale for maintaining academic freedom. Reviews recent censorship threats, the "climate of restriction" which pervades textbooks and teaching, and teachers' reasons for self-censorship. (JDH)

Education in international human rights needs to develop informed critical judgment for considering human rights principles and applying them in the examination of conditions in any country. The purpose should not be to further nationalistic or imperialistic education. (Author/KC)

This essay presents a review of books with which the well-read social educator should be familiar, offering a body of literature that can assist in understanding different views of new social studies and including illuminating examples from the resources. (SM)

Presents a classroom activity designed to involve students in critical thinking and values inquiry concerning the horizontal nuclear proliferation. Provides a set of global values, explaining the conflict between them and nuclear proliferation. Uses indicators, hypothesis development, and testing. Provides sources for material evidence to use in…

Compares 1989 National Commission on Social Studies in the Schools' report, "Charting a Course: Social Studies in the 21st Century," to a similar curricular endeavor during the 1930s. Finds the 1989 version conformist, narrow, prescriptive, overly content oriented, and not reflective of educational research. Because of its academic imperialism and…

Relates a personal history of events leading to the establishment of the College and University Faculty Assembly and its journal "Theory and Research in Social Education." Details the tensions and obstacles encountered in the creation of a college-level faculty group and a professional journal. (DSK)

Discusses the educational reform efforts to reorganize the social studies curriculum in the United States. Criticizes a return to conservative, traditional approaches to social studies than emphasize history and geography while ignoring more contemporary ideas. Suggests that, to develop a discipline of social studies, more scholarly pursuit and…

This article discusses the history of nationalistic education, describes examples of it in Poland, Germany, France, Germany, Russia, and China, and examines selected requirements related to it in the United States. Several approaches for making nationalist education more relevant to a global society are presented. (Author/RM)

Describes the liberal-progressive roots of social studies education. Reports on a review of professional literature since the 1950s and argues that calls for school reform in the 1950s and 1980s were grounded in conservative thinking. (CFR)