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Social Studies

Read more about social studies in K-12 schools, including history and civic

See also: History, Civics

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Revising America's Racist Past
How the 'critical race theory' debate is crashing headlong into efforts to update social studies standards.
  • Photo of U.S. flag in classroom.
    iStock / Getty Images Plus
    Social Studies Teaching the 2024 Election: Learning Opportunity or Landmine?
    As the presidential campaign heats up and school starts soon, social studies teachers weigh in on whether and how to cover it in class.
    Elizabeth Heubeck, July 25, 2024
    4 min read
    Students listen to a presentation during the AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
    Students listen to a presentation during the AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024. The course was initially not approved to state funding in Georgia. State officials reverse course on June 24.
    Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
    Social Studies Georgia Reverses Course on AP African American Studies
    The state school superintendent previously said schools could only use local funding to cover costs for the new College Board course.
    Ileana Najarro, July 25, 2024
    2 min read
    Cole Wicker answers a question during a lesson on Black fraternities and sororities as part of the AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
    Cole Wicker answers a question during a lesson on Black fraternities and sororities as part of the AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024. The course launches nationwide this fall but some states have complicated how schools can offer it.
    Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
    Social Studies Offering AP African American Studies in Georgia Just Got Complicated
    State officials did not approve the course. Schools can still offer it using local funding.
    Ileana Najarro, July 23, 2024
    2 min read
    Diverse Children Painting and Drawing with Brushes and Pencils on White Wall
    TopVectors/iStock
    Social Studies Opinion Mister Rogers Showed Me How to Teach Civics
    Learning civics can begin in kindergarten with the simple understanding that we are all part of a community. Here’s what that looks like.
    Angela M. Evans, June 27, 2024
    5 min read
    Flyers, designed by Ahenewa El-Amin, decorate the halls of Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., as the teacher works to recruit students to take the AP African American Studies class.
    Flyers decorate the halls of Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky. Schools in South Carolina seeking to offer the new AP African American Studies course this fall must seek direct authorization from the College Board.
    Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
    Social Studies Can South Carolina Schools Teach AP African American Studies? It's Complicated
    South Carolina state education officials did not add AP African American Studies nor AP Precalculus to the 2024-25 roster of courses.
    Ileana Najarro, June 5, 2024
    4 min read
    Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
    DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
    Social Studies Opinion Make History Exciting Again for Students
    National History Day seeks to engage young people in deep examination of the past.
    Rick Hess, May 14, 2024
    8 min read
    This 1890 artist's rendition by Kurz & Allison made available by the Library of Congress depicts the charge of Union soldiers with the Massachusetts 54th Infantry Regiment on the Confederate States Army site of Fort Wagner, Morris Island, S.C., near Charleston, on July 18, 1863.
    This 1890 artist's rendition by Kurz & Allison made available by the Library of Congress depicts the charge of Union soldiers with the Massachusetts 54th Infantry Regiment on the Confederate States Army site of Fort Wagner, Morris Island, S.C., near Charleston, on July 18, 1863.
    Kurz & Allison/Library of Congress via AP
    Social Studies Video Teachers, Try This: A Method for Navigating Political Debates in Social Studies
    Through the use of primary sources, and students' own critical thinking skills, this Texas teacher navigates the current political climate.
    3:11
    A group photo picturing 12 of the Memphis 13.
    A group photo of 12 of the Memphis 13 students.
    Courtesy of the Memphis 13 Foundation
    Social Studies What the Research Says Oral History Offers a Model for How Schools Can Introduce Students to Complex Topics
    Community history projects like a curriculum in Memphis, Tenn. can help students grapple with issues like school segregation, experts say.
    Sarah D. Sparks, April 22, 2024
    4 min read
    Photograph of Dawn Brooks-DeCosta at Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School in the Bronx.
    Dawn Brooks Decosta, pictured on Oct. 2, 2020, is the deputy superintendent of the Harlem Community School District 5 in New York. Its 23 schools piloted units of a curriculum developed in collaboration between local educators and the Black Education Research Center at Columbia University Teachers College.
    Kirsten Luce for Education Week
    Social Studies How These Teachers Build Curriculum 'Beyond Black History'
    A pilot to infuse Black history and culture in social studies is gaining ground in New York.
    Sarah D. Sparks, April 15, 2024
    4 min read
    Ahenewa El-Amin leads a conversation with students during her AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
    Ahenewa El-Amin leads a conversation with students during her AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
    Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
    Social Studies Q&A Here's How AP African American Studies Helps Teachers 'Get Students to Think'
    Ahenewa El-Amin in Kentucky is teaching the second year pilot of the College Board's new course set to officially launch this fall.
    Ileana Najarro, April 1, 2024
    4 min read
    Nia Henderson Louis asks a question during AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
    Nia Henderson-Louis asks a question during AP African American Studies at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19.
    Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
    Social Studies What Students Have to Say About AP African American Studies
    Students at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., share their takeaways from the pilot course that officially launches this fall.
    Ileana Najarro, April 1, 2024
    5 min read
    Ahenewa El-Amin leads a conversation with students during her AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
    Ahenewa El-Amin leads a conversation with students during her AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
    Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
    Social Studies How AP African American Studies Works in a State That Limits Teaching About Race
    Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., is offering the final pilot year of the course before it officially launches this fall.
    Ileana Najarro, March 29, 2024
    8 min read
    A couple of historic rusty irons on a shelf.
    iStock/Getty Images
    Social Studies Opinion We Undervalue Women's Work. Teaching This Topic Could Help
    Keeping housework out of our curricula reflects a broader social indifference toward this traditionally female labor.
    Alexandra Thrall & R. Zackary Seitz , March 22, 2024
    4 min read
    Voters wait in line up under an overhang of a building on a college campus. In the foreground, a sign says "vote."
    Voters wait in line at a polling place at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs in Austin, Texas, on election night Nov. 8, 2022. The U.S. Department of Education says colleges and K-12 schools can do more to support young voters to build voting habits.
    Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP
    Social Studies Help Students Register to Vote, Education Department Urges Schools
    Schools and universities can help get students registered to vote and help adolescents develop regular voting habits.
    Evie Blad, February 27, 2024
    2 min read
    A group of parents look at a book, another parent blocks a child's access to the book
    Camilla Sucre for Education Week
    Social Studies Opinion What Black Parents Think About How Black History Is Taught
    The preferences of Black parents are rarely the focus in debates over Black history instruction. Here’s what these survey respondents had to say.
    LaGarrett J. King , February 22, 2024
    3 min read