High quality teaching involves deep content knowledge, understanding students and their learning processes, and complex skills of teaching and assessment. Students who experience high quality teaching tend to achieve higher annual growth rates. This study used a descriptive, qualitative research model to explore excellence in social studies…

A high school philosophy curriculum would prepare students to cope with social issues and would develop their integrative skills, understanding, and critical judgment. Complaints about student immaturity, uncertified instructors, overcrowded social studies curricula, and the impractical nature of philosophy are refuted. (AV)

A look at what students think about suggests that real social thinkers could be developed if students are provided with a breadth of knowledge to think about, a variety of models to use to begin thinking about it, and then are permitted to think. (Author/KM)

The need for relevant objectives and sound evaluation in the social studies is discussed. (SD)

Argues for including an international perspective within the social studies to enable students to adopt a global world view. Illustrates the international approach by describing a unit on the U.S. Revolutionary War and discusses resources that promote an international perspective. Provides an appendix with an abbreviated unit outline and a…

Explains that an organic curriculum embraces a social studies curriculum that is supported by multidisciplinary social science methods and is grounded in the students' real-world experiences. Maintains that this organic social studies methodology is a means for implementing the thematic strands of the National Council for the Social Studies…