2016 Approved Resolutions

2016 Approved Resolutions

2016 NCSS House of Delegates Resolutions

The House of Delegates (HOD) provides a forum for the general membership of NCSS, as represented by state councils, communities, and associated groups, to bring ideas, principles, beliefs, and actions regarding social studies education to the attention of the Board of Directors (BOD). Resolutions are the framework through which the NCSS membership at-large makes recommendations to the Board.

Any NCSS member can submit a resolution following the guidelines established in the House of Delegates manual. Resolutions are debated and voted on during the second session of the HOD meeting at the NCSS annual conference. Resolutions that are passed by the HOD are discussed and voted on by the Board of Directors following the annual conference at the Board’s spring meeting. During this meeting, the Board discusses each of the resolutions to determine if it will help the Council reach its short and long-term strategic goals. Staff begins working on implementing the resolutions passed by the Board of Directors as soon as possible and feasible during the current and incoming fiscal years.

The resolutions approved by the NCSS Board of Directors at its Spring 2017 meeting are the following:

 

16-01-1

Representation of Associated Groups

Sponsors: College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA), International Assembly (IA), National Social Studies Supervisors Association (NSSSA)

Co-Sponsors: Council of State Social Studies Specialists (CS4), Florida Council for the Social Studies, Iowa Council for the Social Studies, Kansas Council for the Social Studies, Nebraska State Council for the Social Studies

Rationale: The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) formally recognizes four associated groups within the organization: Council of State Social Studies Specialists (CS4), College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA), International Assembly (IA), and the National Social Studies Supervisors Association (NSSSA).1 Although these Associated Groups operate as formal subgroups of NCSS, they are not assured elected representation on the NCSS Board of Directors.

WHEREAS: Each Associated Group collects dues, which are in addition to the National Council for the Social Studies membership; and

WHEREAS: Associated Groups maintain and manage operating budgets, elect leadership from their membership, and sustain annual membership; and

WHEREAS: Associated Groups’ funds are housed within the National Council for the Social Studies; and

WHEREAS: Associated Groups plan annual conferences in conjunction with the National Council for the Social Studies annual conference2 and meetings for their membership (e.g., CUFA Retreat); and

WHEREAS: Associated Groups facilitate dissemination of their memberships’ expertise (e.g., Theory and Research in Social Education journal, and CUFA Twitter Account/YouTube Channel); and

WHEREAS: The National Council for the Social Studies has benefitted from the active participation of Associated Groups; and

WHEREAS: Associated Group members have served at the highest levels of NCSS leadership since its founding; and

WHEREAS: Associated Groups represent crucial segments of the National Council for the Social Studies membership; and

WHEREAS: The current membership of the National Council for the Social Studies Board of Directors, while intended to offer representation of the general membership (e.g., University/College, Supervisor, or At-Large), does not guarantee that the Associated Groups have direct representation; and

WHEREAS: The National Council for the Social Studies election procedures do not mandate that a candidate for the supervisor or college slot be a member of his or her Associated Group; and

WHEREAS: Sometimes Associated Groups may not be represented on the National Council for the Social Studies Board of Directors for three or more years;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: That the National Council for the Social Studies Board of Directors convene an ad hoc committee to determine and articulate a plan of action to increase direct participation by members of Associated Groups in NCSS governance.

Notes

1.   www.socialstudies.org/groups

2.   www.socialstudies.org/conference/schedule_at_a_glance

 

16-02-1

NCSS to Encourage Education on the Issue of DC Statehood

Sponsors: Scott Abbott, member, and Virginia Council for the Social Studies

Co-Sponsors: The Association of Teachers of Social Studies / United Federation of Teachers—New York City (ATSS/UFT-NYC), College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA), Colorado Council for the Social Studies, Florida Council for the Social Studies, Iowa Council for the Social Studies, Maine Council for the Social Studies, New York State Council for the Social Studies, Oklahoma Council for the Social Studies, and Pennsylvania Council for the Social Studies.

Rationale: Given the increasing efforts of the District of Columbia to gain admission to the Union as the 51st state, the National Council for the Social Studies should encourage members, state, local and regional councils, and affiliated groups to educate students and members of their local communities about the issues surrounding DC Statehood.

WHEREAS: students across the nation study the United States Constitution including Article I Section 8, which explains the powers of Congress and legislative control of a federal District; and

WHEREAS: social studies students in the 50 states learn about voting rights throughout history and their ability to take informed action at the local, state, and national levels; and

WHEREAS: students in Washington, D.C., learn about voting rights but remain unable to take informed action and effect change in their local community to the same extent as students in the 50 states because residents of the District of Columbia lack full democracy, equality, and citizenship enjoyed by the residents of the 50 states; and

WHEREAS: the United States Constitution, ratified in 1788, provided the right to vote for representation in Congress to the “People of the several States” of the United States, as well as those living on the land that would later be designated by the federal government for the nation’s capital as ceded by Maryland and Virginia to become the District of Columbia; and

WHEREAS: through the enactment of the “District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801,” DC residents have been disenfranchised from voting for members of both houses of Congress for more than 200 years; and

WHEREAS: The C3 Framework encourages inquiry using evidence, and DC residents have proposed evidence in support of a change in the status of the District of Columbia, such as,

•  The District of Columbia now has more residents than either Wyoming or Vermont; and

•  DC residents pay among the highest per capita federal taxes in the nation; and

•  More than 200,000 DC residents have served in the federal armed services; and

•  No other nation in the world denies the right of self-government, including participation in its national legislature, to the residents of its capital; and

•  DC residents elect two shadow Senators and a shadow Representative to advocate DC Statehood after the model of many previously admitted states; and

•  The DC Statehood Commission, consisting of the Mayor, City Council Chairman, and shadow delegation, has fulfilled the requirements of admission for statehood by drafting a state Constitution and proposing a referendum for DC residents to vote on the possibility of statehood; and

•  Although the District of Columbia timely passed a balanced budget for each of the last 19 years, the District of Columbia has faced the possibility of being shut-down each year because of congressional deliberations over the federal budget and the imposition of riders opposed by the District of Columbia; and

WHEREAS: many Americans are unaware that DC residents do not have access to the full benefits of citizenship enjoyed by residents of the 50 states;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: that NCSS solicit articles and lesson ideas for a teaching toolkit and an issue of Social Education about the issues surrounding DC Statehood and other movements to expand democratic participation and to encourage members, state, local and regional councils, and affiliated groups to educate students and members of their local communities about these issues.

 

16-02-2

Affirming Support for Alternatives to the USCIS Naturalization Test as a Measure of Civic Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions

Sponsor: Florida Council for the Social Studies

Co-Sponsors: College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA), Iowa Council for the Social Studies, Nebraska State Council for the Social Studies, Oklahoma Council for the Social Studies, Pre-service Educators Community, Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies

 

Rationale: Truly preparing students for college, career, and civic life requires more than a one-off assessment that can be found online and is little more than a measure of memorization skills.

 

WHEREAS: an increasing number of states are adopting or considering adopting the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Naturalization Test as a measure of civic learning and readiness; and

WHEREAS: the USCIS Naturalization Test does not meet minimum standards of effective and quality social studies assessment or related instruction as defined by the National Council for the Social Studies and current social studies education research; and

WHEREAS: the USCIS Naturalization Test measures only facts which can be memorized from an online search and requires only limited or no instruction while ignoring the Six Proven Practices of Civic Education, recommended by the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools, and the expectations of NCSS Standards; and

WHEREAS: the research-based Six Proven Practices of Civic Education emphasize that quality and effective civics instruction and assessment requires opportunities for students to demonstrate deep content knowledge, discussion of current events and controversial issues, an integration of service learning, civically-oriented extracurricular activities, engagement in school governance, and simulations of democratic processes, little of which is found in or encouraged by the USCIS Naturalization Test; and

WHEREAS: quality and effective preparedness for civic life requires instruction in and assessment of student civic skills and dispositions in addition to civic knowledge;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: that the National Council for the Social Studies issue a position statement affirming support for alternatives to the USCIS Naturalization Test as a measure of civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions, such as the National Association of Educational Progress’s Civics Assessment, NCSS citizenship education materials, or similar research-based civic assessments that better align with best practice in civic instruction and assessment.

 

16-02-4

Resolution for the Explicit Support of NCSS for the Inclusion of LGBTQ+ Issues in the Social Studies Classroom

Sponsor: College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA)

Co-Sponsor: Association of Teachers of Social Studies / United Federation of Teachers - New York City (ATSS/UFT-NYC)

Rationale: Misunderstandings and misinformation regarding the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ+) community are perpetuating passive and active acts of aggression towards members of the community. Social studies teachers are in a position to be able to address both the history and current standing of rights for the LGBTQ+ community.

WHEREAS: North Carolina has enacted a law that removes the rights and privileges of LGBTQ+ individuals to protect themselves or to seek legal recompense in situations where their rights have been violated; and

WHEREAS: states, such as Alabama and South Carolina, have enacted legislation that prohibits teachers from talking about issues of gender and sexuality in the classroom,1 while other states have enacted legislation that requires the inclusion of LGBTQ+ issues in the curriculum;2 and

WHEREAS: LGBTQ+ individuals continue to be targets of violence and aggression, such as the terrorist attack at the Pulse Night Club in Orlando, Florida; and

WHEREAS: research has demonstrated that children who are accepted in their LGBTQ+ identity are more successful than children who are in unaccepting communities;3 and

WHEREAS: suicide is the second leading cause of death for children ages 10-24, and acts of LGBTQ+ victimization/bullying dramatically increase the probability of youths attempting suicide; [4] and

WHEREAS: research has demonstrated that LGBTQ+-inclusive curriculum increases student health, safety, and learning; and

WHEREAS: the National Council for the Social Studies has already issued indirect statements of support of issues of diversity and LGBTQ+ individuals;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: that the National Council for the Social Studies issue a statement in support of the inclusion of LGBTQ+ issues in the social studies curriculum.

Notes

1.   See: www.glsen.org/learn/policy/issues/nopromohomo

2.   See: www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/senatebill48faq.asp

3.   See: Heck, N.C., Flentje, A., and Cochran, B. N. (2011). Offsetting risks: High school gay-straight alliances and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth. School Psychology Quarterly, 26(2), 161–174. http://doi.org/10.1037/a0023226; Ryan, C., Russell, S. T., Huebner, D., Diaz, R., & Sanchez, J. (2010). Family Acceptance in Adolescence and the Health of LGBT Young Adults: Family Acceptance in Adolescence and the Health of LGBT Young Adults. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 23(4), 205–213. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6171.2010.00246.x

4.   See: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/rulesforengagement/ 2016/09/lgbt_students_bullied_at_higher_rates_than_their_peers_poll_finds.html?_ga=1.7077041.2051901393.1406041512 and www.thetrevorproject.org/pages/facts-about-suicide

 

16-02-5

NCSS to Support Greater Inclusion of and Emphasis on Indigenous Peoples and Nations in Social Studies Education

Sponsors: The Association of Teachers of Social Studies / United Federation of Teachers - New York City (ATSS/UFT-NYC), College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA)

Co-Sponsors: Indigenous Education Community, New Hampshire Council for the Social Studies, Oklahoma Council for the Social Studies, Oregon Council for the Social Studies, Tennessee Council for the Social Studies

Rationale: Recognition of and emphasis on Indigenous Peoples and Nations in social studies education should be actively supported by national education organizations dedicated to social justice, human rights, and the education of our diverse, multicultural citizenry in the United States.

WHEREAS: a core value of the National Council for the Social Studies “affirms cultural diversity, combats discrimination and recognizes multiple perspectives…” [Strategic Plan];1 and

WHEREAS: research2 has found that social studies education often perpetuates a false understanding of history and trivializes the past and current experiences of Indigenous Peoples and Nations; and

WHEREAS: research3 has found that social studies education often excludes Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination within civics and citizenship education, as well as treaty relationships, past and present, between Indigenous Nations and the United States; and

WHEREAS: the histories and cultures of Indigenous Peoples should not be omitted or relegated to a sidebar in social studies curricula; and

WHEREAS: the growing movement by the Standing Rock Sioux Nation and hundreds of other Indigenous Nations to protect their homelands and resources from destruction presents teachers an opportunity to introduce students to lessons based on the environment, government, history, economics, cultural studies, and activism that center the experiences and voices of Indigenous Peoples and Nations; and

WHEREAS: the final report of the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education recommended changes to “[P]romote the accurate instruction of Native American history and culture to all school staffs and create initiatives for parents and tribal leaders to engage with students. States and districts should analyze resources, strategies, and professional development opportunities to ensure that tribal histories are included accurately…”; the report further concluded, “…excluding Native cultures and history from classrooms harms the identities of AI/AN (American Indian and Alaska Native) students.” [School Environment Listening Sessions: Final Report];4 and

WHEREAS: Washington’s “Since Time Immemorial” and Montana’s “Indian Education for All” are examples of new state level social studies curricula that can serve as models for emphasizing greater inclusiveness and greater emphasis on Indigenous Peoples and Nations in PK-12 classrooms; and

WHEREAS: additional states, including New York and Oklahoma, have worked toward greater inclusion of Indigenous Peoples and Nations in their state-level curricula; and

WHEREAS: several school districts, cities, states, and the National Education Association have started including and/or are currently advocating the study of Indigenous Peoples Day as part of social studies curriculum in order to provide greater emphasis on Indigenous Peoples as these lands’ First peoples and their continued efforts toward sovereignty and self-determination; and

WHEREAS: the National Council for the Social Studies acknowledges curricula vary from state to state and within states to meet the needs of their local communities; NCSS further encourages states, cities, and districts to create curricula that emphasize and celebrate cultural diversity so that “[S]tudents come to understand that human cultures exhibit both similarities and differences, and they learn to see themselves both as individuals and as members of a particular culture that shares similarities with other cultural groups, but is also distinctive. In a multicultural, democratic society and globally connected world, students need to understand the multiple perspectives that derive from different cultural vantage points…” [National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies, Culture Thematic Strand];5 and

WHEREAS: the National Council for the Social Studies has stated that “…ideals proclaimed in the name of ‘We the People’ and conduct tolerated in actual practice have sometimes been in conflict…” [Human Rights Education Position Statement];6

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: that the National Council for the Social Studies issue a position statement encouraging the creation of social studies curricula that explicitly presents and emphasizes accurate narratives of the lives of Indigenous Peoples, their sovereign Nations, and interactions, past, present, and future, with Euro-American settlers and the government of the United States of America; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: that the National Council for the Social Studies issue a position statement in support of teachers working to provide more accurate learning opportunities for students that emphasize the sovereignty and self-determination of Indigenous Peoples and Nations, past, present, and future.

Notes

1.   www.socialstudies.org/about/strategicplan

2.   See “Sample References of Relevant Research” below

3.   See “Sample References of Relevant Research” below

4.   http://sites.ed.gov/whiaiane/files/2015/12/81326-SchoolEnvir.-394-260.pdf

5.   www.socialstudies.org/standards/strands

6.   www.socialstudies.org/9768/ncss_position_statement_human_rights_education_a_necessity_for_effective_social_and_civic

 

Sample References of Relevant Research

Anderson, C.B. (2012). Misplaced multiculturalism: Representations of American Indians in U.S. history academic content standards. Curriculum Inquiry, 42, 497–509. doi:10.1111/j.1467-873X.2012.00604.x

Calderón, D. (2009). Making explicit the jurisprudential foundations of multiculturalism: The continuing challenges of colonial education in U.S. schooling for indigenous education. In A. Kempf (Ed.), Breaching the Colonial Contract: Anti-Colonialism in the U.S. and Canada (pp. 53–77). New York, NY: Springer.

Calderón, D. (2014). Uncovering settler grammars in curriculum. Educational Studies: Journal of the American Educational Studies Association, 50(4), 313-338.

Castro, A.J. & Knowles, R.T. (forthcoming). Democratic citizenship education: Researching across multiple contexts and landscapes. In M. Manfra & C. Bolick (Eds.), Handbook of Social Studies Research.

Chandler, P.T. (2010). Critical race theory and social studies: Centering the Native American experience. The Journal of Social Studies Research, 34(1), 29–58, www.thejssr.com/

Fleming, W.C. (2006). Myths and stereotypes about Native Americans. Phi Delta Kappan, 88, 213–217. doi:10.1177/003172170608800319

Gesener, V.L. (2011). Native transgressions: A look at the portrayal of Karankawa natives in Texas history textbooks and trade books. American Educational History Journal, 38(1), 219–236.

Haynes Writer, J. (2010). Broadening the meaning of citizenship education: Native Americans and tribal nationhood. Action in Teacher Education, 32(2), 70–81.

Journell, W. (2009). An incomplete history: Representations of American Indians in state social studies standards. Journal of American Indian Education, 48(2), 18–32, http://jaie.asu.edu/

Loewen, J.W. (2007). Lies my teacher told me: Everything your American history textbook got wrong. New York, NY: Touchstone.

Loewen, J.W. (2010). Teaching what really happened: How to avoid the tyranny of textbooks and get students excited about doing history. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Lomawaima, K.T. (2000). Tribal sovereigns: Reframing research in American Indian education. Harvard Educational Review, 70(1), 1–21.

Rains, F.V. (2003). To greet the dawn with open eyes: American Indians, White privilege and the power of residual guilt in social studies. In G. Ladson-Billings (Ed.), Critical race theory perspectives on social studies: The profession, policies, and curriculum (pp. 199–227). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.

Rains, F. V. (2006). The color of social studies: A post-social studies reality check. In E. W. Ross (Ed.), The social studies curriculum: Purposes, problems, and possibilities. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Sabzalian, L. (2015). Beyond “business as usual”: Using counterstorytelling to engage the complexity of urban Indigenous education. [Unpublished doctoral dissertation].

Sanchez, T. R. (2001). Dangerous Indians: Evaluating the depiction of Native Americans in selected trade books. Urban Education, 36, 400–425. doi:10.1177/0042085901363005

Shear, S.B. (2015). Cultural genocide masked as education: Analyzing U.S. history textbooks’ inadequate coverage of Indian Education policies. In Chandler, P. (Ed.) Doing Race in Social Studies: Critical Perspectives (pp. 13-40). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

Shear, S.B., Knowles, R. T, Soden, G. J., & Castro, A.J. (2015). Manifesting destiny: Re/presentations of Indigenous peoples in K–12 U.S. history standards. Theory & Research in Social Education, 43(1), 68–101.

Stanton, C.R. (2012). Hearing the story: Critical Indigenous curriculum inquiry and primary source representation in social studies education. Theory & Research in Social Education, 40,339–370. doi:10.1080/00933104.2012.723242

Trafzer, C.E., & Lorimer, M. (2014). Silencing California Indian genocide in social studies texts. American Behavioral Scientist, 58(1), 64–82. doi:10.1177/0002764213495032

Additional support for this resolution from the Indian Education Division of Montana Office of Public Instruction

 

16-03-1

NCSS to Encourage and Support Teaching about Islam and in Teaching against Islamophobia

Sponsors: Association of Teachers of Social Studies / United Federation of Teachers - New York City (ATSS/UFT-NYC) and New York State Council for the Social Studies

Co-Sponsors: College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA), Florida Council for the Social Studies

Rationale: A rational discussion on Islam and Islamophobia, hatred or fear of Muslims or of their politics or culture,1 among educators and in the social studies classroom is essential to pursuing the ideals of the NCSS-endorsed C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards: College, Career and Civic Life, and the democratic values of the Constitution of the United States.

WHEREAS: The NCSS-endorsed C3 Curriculum: College, Career, and Civic Life is designed to support Civic Life education in our schools; and

WHEREAS: Many states have signed on to incorporate the C3 Framework into their state social studies curricula; and

WHEREAS: Education on using open discussion and critical thinking is included in the methodology of the C3 Framework; and

WHEREAS: Civic Life education requires a clear understanding of the Constitution of the United States, the Bill of Rights, and democratic principles on religious liberty; and

WHEREAS: Education for United States citizenship and global citizenship, and being aware of religious and global issues, is supported by the C3 Framework; and

WHEREAS: Under freedom of the press, misguided attacks on Islam and Muslims are increasingly heard in public discussion, and are openly available in print and electronic media; and

WHEREAS: An attack on any one ethnic, racial, social, or religious cultural group is an attack on all ethnic, racial, social, or religious cultural groups and is against the democratic values of the United States Constitution; and

WHEREAS: Islam and Islamophobia have sometimes been deemed too controversial to discuss in the classroom; and

WHEREAS: C3 methodology, using open discussion and critical thinking skills, applies to classroom discussion and professional development education on Islam and Islamophobia; and

WHEREAS: NCSS has provided good tools for teaching about Islam and Islamophobia in its publications and at its annual conference programs in the past;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: That NCSS be applauded for its past role in encouraging and supporting classroom instruction and professional development education on teaching about Islam and Islamophobia using open discussion and critical thinking skills; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That NCSS applaud states and local school districts that have encouraged and supported classroom instruction and professional development education on teaching about Islam and Islamophobia using open discussion and critical thinking skills; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That, in light of recent upsurges of Islamophobia in public discussion and in print and electronic media, NCSS continue to encourage and support classroom instruction and professional development education on teaching about Islam and Islamophobia using open discussion and critical thinking skills in NCSS webinars, in NCSS publications and at NCSS Conferences.

Note

1.   www.thefreedictionary.com/Islamophobia

 

16-03-2

No Citizen Left Behind

Sponsor: Jeff Benes, member, NCSS

Co-Sponsors: College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA), Florida Council for the Social Studies, Georgia Council for the Social Studies, Ohio Council for the Social Studies, Pre-service Educators Community

Rationale: Every student should be encouraged to be a voice within their particular community, and be taught how to constructively use that voice for civic engagement as part of a social studies program.

WHEREAS: We find ourselves at a time in the history of our great nation when civic engagement and civic dialogue have broken down to a point; and

WHEREAS: It is well established that communities throughout our great nation have unheard voices, key among them communities of under-served youth; and

WHEREAS: Tomorrow’s leaders are today’s students and deserve a robust social studies education; and

WHEREAS: There is a direct correlation between civic engagement and role-playing by students in the classroom and their civic involvement as adults; and

WHEREAS: The greatest civic and history lessons are those that respect and connect students to their communities, allowing students to find personal and meaningful connections to the lesson; and

WHEREAS: Experiential learning and discussions of controversial topics in a classroom setting can give voice to students, exposing them to new experiences, ideas, and diverse perspectives; and

WHEREAS: Proper facilitation of current events classroom discussion requires high quality professional development;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: that NCSS promote professional development opportunities that fortify teachers’ understandings of how to give voice to voiceless youth; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: that NCSS promote pathways to change through student action by way of quality professional development, emphasizing sessions and service at the national conference that allow for attendees to hear student voices.

 

 

16-03-3

Professional Development and Resources to Support Teaching Uncomfortable/Controversial Topics and Current Events

Sponsors: Iowa Council for the Social Studies, Nebraska State Council for the Social Studies

Co-Sponsors: Association of Teachers of Social Studies / United Federation of Teachers - New York City (ATSS/UFT-NYC), California Council for the Social Studies, College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA), Colorado Council for the Social Studies, Florida Council for the Social Studies, Georgia Council for the Social Studies, Iowa Council for the Social Studies, Kansas Council for the Social Studies, Maine Council for the Social Studies, Middle States Council for the Social Studies, Minnesota Council for the Social Studies, Pre-service Educators Community, Technology Community, Tennessee Council for the Social Studies, Virginia Council for the Social Studies, Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies

Rationale: The NCSS believes that the more exposure students have to current events, the more likely they are to be aware of and interested in them. The NCSS believes that providing social studies teachers with a toolkit and strategies to create a safe place for current events to be discussed in the classroom will ease the confusion and anger many experience in teaching and learning about uncomfortable and controversial current issues.

WHEREAS: It is essential that social studies educators are equipped with the skills necessary to create a safe place for students to discuss controversial issues in current events and have their opinions heard and respected; and

WHEREAS: The availability of training and online resources is essential to social studies teachers to achieve this goal;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: That NCSS encourage and support the creation of an online toolkit, webinars, and collections of resources to assist local affiliates and social studies teachers to create safe and respectful classroom environments for current controversial issues to be taught and discussed.

 

16-04-2

NCSS to Encourage the United States Government to Include Support for Human Rights Education in Public Schools as Part of Its Commitment to Honor Various Ratified Treaties and Approved Declarations Regarding Human Rights and Humanitarian Law

Sponsor: Human Rights Education Community of The National Council for the Social Studies

Co-Sponsors: The Association of Teachers of Social Studies / United Federation of Teachers - New York City (ATSS/UFT-NYC), College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA), Florida Council for the Social Studies, Nebraska State Council for the Social Studies

Rationale: The United States has ratified various treaties regarding human rights and humanitarian law and has assented to seminal human rights declarations, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Several of these treaties include specific provisions in which the “state parties” to the treaty agree that they will educate their civil population about the human rights and humanitarian law standards established therein. Within the institutional framework of the United Nations, particularly those overseen by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the U.S. government, through the U.S. Department of State, participates in various international mechanisms for reporting on U.S. efforts to carry out the terms of these treaties and declarations, particularly the ratified treaties, inviting comments from other signatory nations and from domestic and global civil society organizations, and for responding to comments received.

Within one very comprehensive review process, designated the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the United States in its 2015 report assured its treaty partners that “The United States is committed to continuing to promote human prosperity and human rights and fundamental freedoms of all persons within the United States,” including “human rights training for civil servants who need it” and “technical assistance” in support of law enforcement training “at the local level,” and that “[w]e are taking steps to strengthen federal-level coordination, and are considering ways to improve implementation [of ‘U.S. international human rights obligations’]” through “our continuing efforts, in consultation with civil society, to promote, protect, and respect human rights for all.”[1]

This national effort necessarily requires an educational component, as do the treaties on behalf of which these commitments were made. The National Council for the Social Studies, as a civil society organization with particular expertise in regard to civic and social education and with a formally recognized commitment to promoting human rights education, is uniquely positioned, organizationally and through the expertise and experience of its members, to support the United States’ commitments to promote respect for human rights by encouraging and, where appropriate, participating in the development of programs and capacities within public education to educate the U.S. public about the fundamental principles of human rights and humanitarian law.

WHEREAS: The United States is party to various human rights treaties and has given its support to related human rights declarations, and, pursuant to its treaty obligations and its membership in the United Nations, has stated its commitment to honor its treaty obligations regarding human rights, both directly and through its interaction with state and local entities within the US federal system; and

WHEREAS: Adherence to internationally recognized and nationally agreed upon standards of human rights requires participation by a knowledgeable and educated citizenry which understands the fundamental principles of human rights as expressed in treaties and in the laws of the United States; and

WHEREAS: In recognition of the need for a citizenry educated in the fundamental principles of human rights and international humanitarian law, various treaties ratified by the United States, (for example, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and the four Geneva Conventions), specifically include a commitment to educate the civil population about human rights and humanitarian law; and

WHEREAS: It is the mission of the National Council for the Social Studies to “provide leadership, service, and support for all social studies educators” in order that they may “teach students the content knowledge, intellectual skills, and civic values necessary for fulfilling the duties of citizenship in a participatory democracy”;2 and

WHEREAS: The National Council for the Social Studies has adopted a Position Statement on Human Rights Education: A Necessity for Effective Social and Civic Learning, www.socialstudies.org/positions/human_rights_education_2014, and has stated its support for the UN Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training, recognizing that “Social studies educators in the United States have a special opportunity and a responsibility to contribute to this growing movement by integrating the fundamental concepts of universal human rights and international humanitarian law into a nurturing and yet rigorous education that prepares students to be compassionate, aware, and effective citizens and to work together to build a more livable world”;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: that NCSS encourage the United States government, particularly the U.S. Department of State, through its Division of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, and the U.S. Department of Education, through its various programs that support and encourage civic, social, and global education, and under the overall direction and guidance of the president of the United States, to incorporate programs and practices that foster education in human rights at every level of education into its “steps to strengthen federal-level coordination” of implementation of human rights obligations; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: that NCSS, as a civil society organization with particular expertise in social studies education, offer its full cooperation to both governmental and civil society efforts to integrate human rights education into the social studies education of all students and encourage its members likewise to contribute their knowledge, skills, and experience in social studies education to these efforts.

Notes

1.   All quotations of U.S. position are from the Addendum of the United States of America to the Report of the Working Group on its Universal Periodic Review, document A/HRC/30/12/Add.1 of the UN Human Rights Council.

2.   Quotation from the Mission Statement of the National Council for the Social Studies as stated in the NCSS Policy Manual. § 1.32.

Courtesy resolutions were also passed recognizing the service of NCSS President Peggy Jackson, Conference co-chair India Meissel, Local Arrangements co-chairs Scott Abbott and Wesley Hedgepeth, the Local Arrangements Committee, the DC and Virginia Councils for the Social Studies, and Susan Griffin, who served as executive director of the National Council for the Social Studies for 16 years.