NCLB

Over the next few weeks, states around our nation can join Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Tennessee in submitting waivers to the requirements of the federal education law No Child Left Behind (NCLB).   --> read more »

The Maryland Social Studies Task Force has released a report on social studies education in Maryland. Acknowledging the challenges faced by social studies over the past decade, including the unintended marginalization of social studies disciplines caused by NCLB, the social studies task force made nine recommendations in its report that are "intended to reverse social studies’ decline." Key recommendations include establishing standards governing instructional time; administering a statewide social studies assessment in elementary and middle school; increasing social studies course requirements for prospective teachers; and launching a campaign to gain public support for more and better social studies instruction.

• The Task Force Report on Social Studies Education in Maryland: The Challenge and the Imperative (pdf download)
• Related: NCSS Position Statement Social Studies in the Era of No Child Left Behind

NCSS President Gayle Thieman and Past President Peggy Altoff articulate the devastating impact of NCLB on social studies teaching in an article published in the District Administration March 2008 issue.   --> read more »