In this article the authors interrogate the historical meaning of the African American soldier in order to widen the discussion of race and citizenship in the field of social studies education. The article has two overarching purposes. First, the authors attend to the recent call in the field of social studies for a more rigorous analysis of…

This study is a mixed-methods text analysis of African American representation within K-12 U.S. History content standards treating the revolutionary era, the early U.S. republic, the Civil War era, and Reconstruction. The states included in the analysis are Michigan, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Virginia. The analysis finds that the reviewed…

This study examines the effectiveness of asynchronous communication in facilitating historical discussions among adolescents, with a specific focus on the ways in which teachers can affect this process. Threaded discussion board posts and teacher-student email correspondence from a five-week American history summer course are analyzed and…

In Fall 2000, when "Theory and Research in Social Education" (TRSE) first dedicated an issue to technologies in social studies education, Neil Postman contributed a View Point piece to this issue. Postman, who died in 2003, was an interesting choice because he was an outspoken critic of educational technology who believed that, as he said at the…

This article describes a service-learning intervention, the CivicConnections Program, as implemented by 96 teachers in 32 site-based teams in 21 states during 2004-2005. Each of the 32 teams was responsible for multiple service-based, social studies classrooms serving a total of more than 2500 students in grades 3-12. The individual…

The first Teaching American History (TAH) grants were made available to K-12 schools from the Department of Education in 2002. They provide money to school systems for three-year projects to form partnerships with area organizations with the goal of increasing the American history knowledge of teachers and students. This study focuses on the…

What teachers know about their subject-matter and how to teach it has become increasingly important as states continue to expect more rigorous learning outcomes for K-12 students--even more so when we consider that they must teach this content to an increasingly diverse student population. This article reports the findings from a four-year case…

In efforts to create "good" and "responsible" citizens, social educators have sought solutions (assimilation, acculturation, etc.) to the "problem" of racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity in U.S. society (Houser & Kuzmic, 2001). The "greater good" of this neo-colonial endeavor often focuses on maintaining the privileges of the white, upper…

The Internet has been touted as a useful resource for social studies teachers. This study used content analysis methods to examine trends in sessions focused on the use of the Internet presented at the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) annual meeting (1995-2002). Session abstracts were analyzed for: type of Internet sessions…

Believes that social educators must respond to alienation in society that is the cause of disconnections among people when trying to build a stronger democracy. Examines the idea of alienation within society and addresses how social educators can keep their values as they teach. (CMK)

Focuses on the issue of technology within education. Addresses various issues related to e-learning and children, such as if computers really motivate children to learn quicker and better and if computers connect children to the world. Discusses the issue of distance education within the higher education environment. (CMK)

Discusses factors that affect the use of technology by social studies teachers. Focuses on the use of Web-based learning within the social studies. Highlights studies that address the effects of technology in social studies. Introduces the articles in this special issue, "Technology in Social Studies Education." (CMK)

Asserts that new technologies have advantages and drawbacks for society. Believes that the way to improve education is not through the use of technology, but to adopt an inspiring narrative as a goal of education. (CMK)

Focuses on the book "Civic Illiteracy and Education: The Battle for the Hearts and Minds of American Youth" (John Marciano) and Marciano's stated views. Explains that the book offers a starting point for addressing the state of civic education beyond the information gleaned from test scores. (CMK)

Argues against the standards movement. Believes that standardized testing has affected the teachers and students in public schools, the perception of education in general, and public education overall. Focuses on the impact of the standards movement and standardized tests in particular. (CMK)