A truly critical inquiry should identify unequal power relationships in society and offer students counter-narratives to transform unjust social relations.

Teaching young people to track congressional representatives and public issues through Congress can engage students with their government and advance their civic participation.

These key prompts can help social studies teachers and students gauge a compelling question’s rigor, relevance, and functionality.

The U.S. Constitution codifies a complex system of governmental checks and balances. But for all its innovation, our founding document fails to address the question of how to prosecute wrongdoing by personnel in the executive branch, including the president of the United States. 

There is a great difference in the economics concepts and principles outlined in state standards for the primary grades. The authors offer strategies for lagging states to strengthen their approach.

The federal deficit, the trade deficit, and most recently the housing and mortgage crunches have caused the value of the dollar to plummet. A closer look at this issue will help students understand its impact on ordinary citizens.

This silent auction activity can clarify the relationship between money supply and inflation and explain to students why the government cannot simply print more money to solve the national debt.

Josh Otlin

Students can learn a great deal about our political system by examining how politicians are financed. The highlighted website that tracks campaign contributions is a rich resource for teaching about the influence of money in our political system.

A world history assignment, kicked off with a question on the French Revolution and furthered with a political cartoon, demonstrates the power of electronic discourse to enhance instruction and increase student participation.