Recent events have made one thing clear: there is no historical force that guarantees American success in the twenty-first century if Americans lack the knowledge, skills and competence needed to deal with the challenges that face them in the United States and the world. As social studies educators, nothing is more important than providing our students with these capabilities.

We live in a global age, in which economies are so intertwined that the recent credit meltdown in the United States has had devastating effects worldwide, and in which the complexity of international relations makes it essential to understand the likely chains of consequences of major decisions. Social studies classes need to teach students how to understand this world, and make a positive contribution to it. We need to be innovative and ready to adapt our curriculum to changing needs. A country whose leaders do not understand the economic, political, social and environmental dynamics of the world is at risk. A curriculum in which students are tested on the laws of Hammurabi but may learn nothing about the twentieth century history of Iraq, does not serve us well.

The theme of this special issue of Social Education, edited by Michael M. Yell, is the acquisition of twenty-first century skills. A number of features in the issue reflect the recent collaboration between NCSS and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills that has resulted in the development of a road map for social studies (accessible at www.21stcenturyskills.org/documents/ss_map.pdf) The article by Michael M. Yell and John Box outlines the goals of this collaboration, a principal objective of which is “the need for high quality, disciplined thought.” (349)

The opening article by Lee Ann Potter sets the stage for the rest of the issue by highlighting the role the future has played in American aspirations, as portrayed in historical documents from the American Revolution, the Civil War and World War II.
Author and humorist Firoozeh Dumas lends an international touch to this issue in an interview with Michael Yell, in which she shares her experiences of the United States, to which she and her family immigrated from Iran when she was a young girl.

The bulk of this issue is divided into sections dealing with teaching the different social studies disciplines, the opportunities offered by instructional technology, and the need to develop students’ thinking skills.

Geoffrey Scheurman emphasizes the value of poetry and the arts for teaching history; they provide “an enduring and authentic vehicle for understanding the human condition, the raison d’etre of the social studies.” (353) In our time of global interdependence, Paul Nagel reiterates the necessity of an excellent understanding of geography and points out that new tools, such as GPS and GIS, can turn geography class activities into exciting adventures. Mark Schug and Jane Lopus highlight the importance of giving economic and financial education their rightful place in the curriculum and ensuring that students understand the characteristics which distinguish nations that are economically successful from those that are not.

Three features deal with the need to enhance students’ global awareness. Merry Merryfield suggests strategies for increasing awareness of the outside world by encouraging students to see events from the perspectives of other cultures, listen to voices from other parts of the world, and investigate the impact of connections between the United States and other countries. Susan Graseck challenges students to think about four alternative types of policy the United States could adopt as it plans its future role in the world. Mike Koren emphasizes the value of bringing international visitors to the classroom.

The goal of social studies is education for democracy, which includes excellent civics instruction in schools for all students. Diana Hess warns that this goal is threatened by a significant divide that has arisen because students from wealthier, better educated socio-economic backgrounds seem to participate more in highly rated civic education programs and volunteer extracurricular activities than poorer and minority students.

Peggy S. Jackson, Elizabeth R. Hinde and Nancy S. Haas emphasize the importance of stimulating the curiosity and challenging the thinking skills of students of civics, and, in illustration, present an imaginative lesson plan on the Bill of Rights from the Sandra Day O’Connor Civic Education Project. Peggy Altoff’s Point of View article highlights the danger of putting two of the “three C’s”—College and Career—ahead of the third, Citizenship, the marginalization of which would “throw out the baby with the bathwater.” (379)

Three articles emphasize the need to maximize the learning opportunities presented by the imaginative use of instructional technology. C. Frederick Risinger’s Internet column identifies sites that are particularly useful for teachers seeking to be at the cutting edge of instructional technology as they teach 21st century skills. Joseph O’Brien provides sample class activities that can fulfill social studies goals while enhancing students’ technological abilities. Syd Golston shows how the imaginative use of technology has enhanced the Magnet Law Program of Cholla High School in Tucson, Arizona.

The issue concludes with two articles that present methods of developing students’ thinking skills. Linda Elder and Richard Paul identify sets of questions that teachers can use to stimulate powerful thinking and model the research process to students. Beth Ratway describes the Grade Level Foundations that have been introduced in Wisconsin as a tool to help implement a standards-based curriculum by focusing on profound, higher-level thinking about social studies subjects.

As always, the editors of Social Education welcome the comments of readers on any of the contributions to this issue at socialed@ncss.org.

Author Guidelines

Social Education invites author submissions of the following kinds:

• Substantive articles in anthropology, archaeology, civics, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, sociology, and other related humanities and social sciences;

• Viewpoints, analyses, and criticism of current issues related to social studies;
• Ideas and techniques for strengthening social studies education at all levels: elementary, middle, high school, and university;
• Significant research findings, interpretations, or theories in social studies education;
• Articles that relate work in other academic disciplines (such as the natural sciences, mathematics, literature, and the arts) to the social studies.

Social Education also has the following departments that welcome original author manuscripts on specific aspects of the social studies: Book Reviews, Dateline, Elementary Education, Instructional Technology, Looking at the Law, Research and Practice, Surfing the Net, and Teaching with Documents.

Social Studies and the Young Learner focuses on techniques and topics especially relevant to grades K through 6. Please click on the following link for instructions for that specific journal. Write about your classroom lesson!

Evaluation and Editing

Manuscripts are returned if they do not meet the technical specifications described in these guidelines. NCSS journals rely on referees who volunteer their time and expertise. Although editors routinely seek evaluations by qualified reviewers, the editors have the final responsibility for deciding suitability for publication. The editors reserve the right to edit for style (including grammar, punctuation, syntax, and vocabulary), but changes in content are made with the corresponding author's consent.

Cover Letter

Please enclose a letter of transmittal with your manuscript, stating that the article has not been submitted or published elsewhere. If there are several authors, please indicate the corresponding author in the cover letter.

Length of Manuscripts

In general, manuscripts should be between 1,000 and 3,000 words in length, although the editors may consider longer manuscripts in some cases. Provide a word count.

Preparation of Manuscripts

Submit one original and three photocopies of the double-spaced manuscript. If the manuscript is accepted for publication, editors will request an electronic copy of the text, which can be sent by e-mail or CD-ROM as a text file (preferably in Microsoft Word or Rich Text Format). If you cannot save in those file formats, save the file as a text only (ASCII) file. On the CD, write your name, the title of the manuscript, and the name of the program used to create the file. Avoid automatic endnotes, superscripts, active URLs, and other special functions. Type these items in directly.

Title Page

Include the title of the paper and the name, professional title and affiliation, complete mailing address, e-mail, fax, and telephone number(s) of each author. If there are several authors, please indicate who is the corresponding author on the title page.

Except for the title, this information should not appear on any other page, so that reviewers may be kept "blind" as to the identity of the author(s). Since reviewers won't be receiving the title page, please make sure to also put the title on the first text page of the manuscript.

Photographs, Illustrations, and Figures

Authors are encouraged to provide appropriate illustrations, graphics, photographs, lesson plan materials, figures, and samples of students' work with their articles. Figures should be numbered sequentially with Arabic numerals, discussed in the text, and accompanied by captions. Send photocopies of graphic material with the manuscript. If the manuscript is accepted for publication, originals will be requested. Art should be electronically in the following formats: TIFF or EPS with preview. Please note that all images must be at least 300 pixels per inch (ppi) in resolution.

Tables

Tables should be numbered sequentially with Arabic numerals and discussed in the text. A table should be intelligible by itself and have a concise title and column headings. Each table should appear on a separate sheet of paper after the references.

Permissions

Obtain permission in writing from publishers for text quoted at length or for materials (poems, maps, photographs, cartoons, etc.) that you would like to have included in an article. If photos of young students (or their names or work samples) are to be included, provide statements of parental permission.

Proofreading

Have colleagues or other professionals proofread your manuscript before submission.

Notes

Notes, which are numbered and follow the main text of an article, are used for citations, explanations, and acknowledgments. Place the notes, double-spaced, on separate pages that follow the text of an article, preceding other references or resource lists. Carefully check the correspondence between the numbers called out in the text and those in the notes section. Follow the style for notes and references as outlined below. Also, articles published in recent NCSS journals may serve as models. For situations not covered in these examples, follow The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993) as closely as possible (not APA style). Use authors' full names.

Citations from books:

1. Anthony Downs, An Economic Theory of Democracy (New York: Harper, 1957), 54.

2. Norman H. Nie, Sidney Verba, and John R. Petrocik, The Changing American Voter (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1976), 111-113.

3. Thomas O. Erb, "What Team Organization Can Do for Teachers," in John H. Lounsbury, ed., Connecting the Curriculum through Interdisciplinary Instruction (Columbus, OH: National Middle School Association, 1992), 7-14.

Citations from journals and magazines:

4. Edward G. Carmines and James A. Stimson, "The Two Faces of Issue Voting," American Political Science Review 74 (1980): 78-91.

5. Diana Hess, "Violence Prevention and Service Learning," Social Education 61, no. 5 (September 1997): 279-281.

Citation from a newspaper:

6. Sean Holton, "Candidates Find End of Rainbows in S. Florida," The Sun Sentinel (July 3, 1996): 1.

Citation for a website:

7. National Council for the Social Studies, "National Standards for Social Studies Teachers" (Washington, DC: NCSS, 1997), www.socialstudies.org.

Several citations within one note:

8. Anthony Downs, An Economic Theory of Democracy (New York: Harper, 1957), 54; Edward G. Carmines and James A. Stinson, "The Two Faces of Issue Voting," American Political Science Review 74 (1980): 78-91; Sean Holton, "Candidates Find End of Rainbow in S. Florida," The Sun Sentinel (July 3, 1996): 1.

Citations from the same source:

9. Hess, 280. [Refers the reader to a note not immediately above.]

10. Ibid., 281. [Refers the reader to the immediately preceding note.]

References

References, which follow the notes section, are works of interest not cited within the main text or notes. For example, the references section might be a list of children's literature, teaching resources, or background reading. List items alphabetically.

Barr, Robert, James L. Barth, and S. Samuel Shermis. Defining the Social Studies. Bulletin No. 51. Washington, DC: National Council for the Social Studies, 1977.

Hazard, John N. The Soviet System of Government, 5th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980.

Larson, Bruce E. "The Makah: Exploring Public Issues During a Structured Classroom Discussion," Social Studies and the Young Learner 10, no. 1 (September/October 1997): 10-13.

National Council for the Social Studies. Resources categorized by the ten themes of Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies can be found at the NCSS website, www.socialstudies.org. Click on "Teaching Resources."

Where to Send Your Manuscript

To submit a manuscript, please send it to:

The Editors

National Council for the Social Studies

8555 Sixteenth Street

Suite 500

Silver Spring, Maryland 20910

Voice: 301 588-1800 ext 122

Fax: 301 588-2049

E-mail: publications@ncss.org

Articles from the "Teaching with Documents" series are available free online to NCSS members. Click on the ones you want to view and print. Teaching with Documents articles, published originally in Social Education over the last decade or so, were written by staff at the National Archives and Records Administration. Each article features a primary source document accompanied by teaching activities and lessons that focus on history, civics, and many other social studies disciplines.

Remember, too, that other articles from back issues of Social Education, Middle Level Learning, and Social Studies and the Young Learner are available to members at the online archives, www.socialstudies.org/members/.

The articles listed here include the primary source documents and complete lesson plans for middle and secondary classrooms. They are all presented in PDF format.

• The First Act of Congress
  Lee Ann Potter
  In the early days of this nation, Congress considered numerous acts as it established the laws of the land. Yet the first ever act of Congress concerned an oath to support the Constitution.
  
  
• On the Other Side
  Lee Ann Potter
  The value of an historical document goes far beyond its obvious content, and includes such obscure clues as notations scribbled hastily on the back.
  
  
• Buttons to Bumper Stickers: Political Campaign Memorabilia
  Lee Ann Potter
  From George Washington to George W. Bush, politicians have used campaign memorabilia to capture the attention of voters. By studying these items, students can learn a great deal about historical issues and candidates.
  
  
• Robert E. Lee's Demand for the Surrender of John Brown
  Daniel F. Rulli
  John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry--considered treasonous by some and heroic by others--helped strengthen the anti-slavery movement. Students can gain a deeper understanding of this event by studying General Lee's demand for Brown’s surrender.
  
  
• 1863 Letter from Ralph Waldo Emerson about Walt Whitman
  Lee Ann Potter
  During the Civil War, poet Walt Whitman was eager to work for the government. Though federal jobs weren't easy to come by, a letter of recommendation from Ralph Waldo Emerson was able to push open government doors.
  
  
• Letter from President Millard Fillmore to the Emperor of Japan
  Marvin Pinkert and Lee Ann Potter
  A letter from President Fillmore plays a key role in overcoming Japan's "closed country" policy.
  
  
• Order of Argument in the Case Brown v. Board of Education
  Kahlil Chism, contributing author, and Lee Ann Potter, editor
  The Order of Argument in Brown v. Board of Education is a short document, but it can launch students on a long voyage of understanding of this milestone case.
  
  
• Connecting with the Past
  Lee Ann Potter
  History becomes much more than past events and important dates, when students investigate the subtle clues buried in primary sources.
  
  
• Big and Famous is Not Always Better
  Daniel F. Rulli
  Documents do not need to be elaborate to be useful classroom tools. Short, lesser-known documents can teach students a world of history.
  
  
• The Words We Live By: The Constitution in Context
  Linda R. Monk
  When students understand the historical context of a given document, they learn much more than simply the words of a text.
  
  
• From Attics to Graveyards: Where to Locate Documents for Your Classroom
  Tom Gray and Susan Owens
  The most valuable information may be in the least obvious places--attics, file cabinets, or the local cemeteries.
  
  
• Online Resources from the National Archives
  Lee Ann Potter
  This article provides practical tips for finding key sources on the National Archives website.
  
  
• Online Resources from the Library of Congress
  Judith K. Graves and Marilyn Parr
  The authors outline major areas and search tools for navigating the Library of Congress website.
  
  
• Archival Facilities Across the Nation
  Here's a useful list of National Archives facilities around the country. Also included is a list of state archives that are responsible for preserving valuable records.
  
  
• Primarily, It's Serendipity
  James A. Percoco
  The correspondence between a baseball commissioner and President Franklin Roosevelt offers a creative approach to teaching World War II during baseball season.
  
  
• My Reward: Outstanding Student Projects Based on Primary Sources
  John Lawlor
  Students research their homes, local ruins, or urban ecology--among other fascinating subjects--as part of term projects that challenge them to investigate history using primary sources.
  
  
• Suggested Methods for Integrating Primary Sources into Classroom Instruction
  National Archives and Records Administration
  
  
• Document Analysis Worksheets
  National Archives and Records Administration
  
  
• Affidavit in the Case of Orville and Wilbur Wright vs. Glenn H. Curtiss
  Kahlil G. Chism and Lee Ann Potter
  Orville and Wilbur Wright were not the only inventors working on airplane innovations. But the Wright brothers' patent gave them a tremendous advantage and inhibited manufacturers from producing planes for a time just before World War I.
  
  
• Letter from Archibald MacLeish about Relocating the Charters of Freedom during World War II
  Michael Hussey and Lee Ann Potter
  During World War II, the Library of Congress went to extraordinary lengths to protect the nation's founding documents in case of an attack on the capital.
  
  
• Letter from President Lyndon B. Johnson to John Steinbeck
  Lee Ann Potter
  The letter featured in this article offers insight into the mutual respect shared between author John Steinbeck and former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson. Although Steinbeck's opinion on the Vietnam War varied, he was a strong supporter of Johnson's position on the war at the time the letter was written.