January 30, 2024
Reflecting on a New Year: The Indispensable Role of Social Studies Teachers
by Wesley E. Hedgepeth and Lawrence M. Paska
As we herald the start of a new year, we reflect on the well-being of our democracy. What is the well-being of our democracy? Our reflection on this question is rooted in knowing that the role of social studies teachers is more crucial than ever. Social studies teachers shape an informed, critical, and active citizenry. To ensure a robust and thriving democracy, we must advocate for the trust, support, and empowerment of our nation’s social studies teachers and their indispensable role in American education.
Many Americans are currently engaged in the same reflection; while our collective beliefs appear to be more widely divided than ever, we largely work from basic perceptions (and passions) of what should be best for the future of our country. It feels fair to say that all of us—regardless of identity—want what is best for our children. In the school setting, our children’s success is rooted in the health and vitality of our teachers who guide them every day. To set our children (and in turn our democracy) up for the best possible success, we carefully chose three areas—trust, support, empowerment—to champion social studies teachers.
Trust in social studies teachers is paramount. Social studies teachers play a fundamental role in fostering critical thinking, encouraging informed civil discourse, and nurturing an understanding of civic responsibilities. By trusting them, we acknowledge their expertise in navigating complex social and political concepts and their ability to present these concepts in ways that are impartial, engaging, and thought provoking. Trust means allowing social studies teachers to explore diverse perspectives and controversial topics, which are essential for a comprehensive understanding of individuals, communities, systems, and their interactions across time and place. Trust also means providing them with the space and flexibility to structure classroom learning in developmentally appropriate ways and to include social studies learning in every grade and every day, from early childhood through graduation.
Support for social studies teachers is support for the foundation of our democracy. This support should be tangible—fair wages, reasonable class sizes, and access to current resources and technology. It should also be intellectual support—encouraging ongoing professional development that enhances both their content knowledge and pedagogical prowess and providing platforms for sharing best practices. Social studies teachers need to be equipped with the tools to help students navigate our increasingly complex media landscape and to differentiate between reliable information and misinformation. This ability to differentiate is vital when fake news and polarizing ideologies threaten the very essence of democratic discourse.
Empowerment of social studies teachers is critical to invigorate our democratic institutions. Social studies teachers should be empowered—and given ample time—to develop curricula that allow students to examine vast human experiences through the generation of questions, collection and analysis of evidence from credible sources, consideration of multiple perspectives, and the application of social studies knowledge and disciplinary skills. The expertise needed to manage an effective classroom transcends the school house; teachers are highly skilled professionals, often with multiple advanced degrees. Empowering teachers also means involving them in policy-making processes that shape education. When social studies teachers are active participants in shaping educational policies, they can better align their teaching with the needs and realities of our society.
Furthermore, empowerment is a bridge between trust and support. Our students see our teachers as role models in society, not just because they spend so much of their day with them. By empowering teachers visibly in front of our students and communities, we subsequently build our trust in them and show our support for them. When our children see the adults in their lives visibly trusting, supporting, and talking positively about their teachers, they are likely to thrive in school, especially as it is the one place they spend a majority of their day. When we empower teachers in this way, we give them a boost to empower our students and set them up for success. Our children see this behavior. (They also see the opposite: When we berate teachers, remove their support, and communicate mistrust in their practice, our children lose confidence in their own education.) Teachers must be empowered to model the active civic engagement we seek to nurture within our students, including learning to take care of the people and places in their communities, engaging with elected officials, participating in political campaigns, and perhaps eventually running for elected office.
The impact of social studies teachers on a civil society cannot be overstated. Our social studies teachers introduce young minds to the concepts of justice, equity, and civic responsibility. Through their guidance, students learn to value diverse perspectives, to engage in respectful and informed discourse, and to understand their role and responsibility in a democratic society. Social studies teachers are instrumental in creating an informed citizenry who are curious and empathetic, capable of critical thinking and making decisions that affect the common good. By fostering classroom environments where questioning and problem-solving are valued, social studies teachers contribute to the development of our future leaders who are ready to address even the most complex challenges of our world.
Social studies teachers are the unsung heroes of democracy. They do more than teach; they inspire, challenge, and empower our future. Trusting, supporting, and empowering them is not just an investment in education; it's an investment in the health of our democracy. If we continue down the path of distrust and disinvestment in our teachers, we risk undermining the very foundations of freedom and justice for all, a peril too grave to ignore. Our children are watching how we treat the adults we ask to take care of them and guide their learning every day. If we care about our children, we must care about our teachers. Let this be a time where we fully commit to these teachers, understanding that in their hands lies the future of our vibrant and thriving democracy.
Wesley Hedgepeth
NCSS President
[email protected]
Lawrence M. Paska, Ph.D., CAE
NCSS Executive Director
[email protected]
October 19, 2023
From the NCSS President
A Statement on the Israel-Palestine Conflict
In light of the recent events in Israel and Palestine, it is crucial to acknowledge the fundamental principles of human rights and peace. On the eve of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), let us not forget Article III: "Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person." The UDHR applies to all individuals, regardless of ethnicity, religion, national origin, or any other distinguishing factors.
It is indeed heart-wrenching to witness the tragedies that continue to unfold in this conflict, affecting people with and without faith, in western Asia (often known from a Western perspective as the Middle East) and around the world. It is also important to acknowledge that this conflict is not new, that this region of the world has suffered greatly from historical violence perpetrated by various peoples, including state and non-state actors. Whether it occurs in Israel and Palestine or anywhere else globally, war and violence of any kind are wrong.
In these trying times, it is essential that we foster an open and inclusive dialogue with voices from all sides of this or any conflict. Each perspective contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the situation and, hopefully, a path towards a peaceful resolution.
Additionally, it is critical to address the impact this conflict has on our students and their families, as well as on our fellow educators. Humans process tragedies differently, and schools must provide support, especially to those who identify as Arab, Israeli, Jewish, Muslim, or Palestinian. Schools must be safe spaces for all and cannot be places where further violence is perpetrated.
While my hope is to set a tone for civil dialogue and express compassion, it is also to acknowledge a complex, evolving situation that can be politically and religiously divisive. The social studies classroom is uniquely positioned to discuss these necessary topics. As social studies educators, we are civility engineers. We can and should serve as models for civil discourse, but we cannot do it alone. It is incumbent upon all of us to educate ourselves fully about the complexities of this or any issue to ensure we do not share or make decisions based on false information. Parents and guardians also play a vital role.
Lastly, I join the call for peace. Silence can perpetuate violence, and it is our responsibility to speak out against injustice. As the late, great Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This message is a personal reflection, and I welcome feedback to it, as I am continually learning and striving for both a greater understanding of humanity and a more harmonious world.
Wesley Hedgepeth
NCSS President
[email protected]
From the NCSS President
A Statement on the Israel-Palestine Conflict
In light of the recent events in Israel and Palestine, it is crucial to acknowledge the fundamental principles of human rights and peace. On the eve of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), let us not forget Article III: "Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person." The UDHR applies to all individuals, regardless of ethnicity, religion, national origin, or any other distinguishing factors.
It is indeed heart-wrenching to witness the tragedies that continue to unfold in this conflict, affecting people with and without faith, in western Asia (often known from a Western perspective as the Middle East) and around the world. It is also important to acknowledge that this conflict is not new, that this region of the world has suffered greatly from historical violence perpetrated by various peoples, including state and non-state actors. Whether it occurs in Israel and Palestine or anywhere else globally, war and violence of any kind are wrong.
In these trying times, it is essential that we foster an open and inclusive dialogue with voices from all sides of this or any conflict. Each perspective contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the situation and, hopefully, a path towards a peaceful resolution.
Additionally, it is critical to address the impact this conflict has on our students and their families, as well as on our fellow educators. Humans process tragedies differently, and schools must provide support, especially to those who identify as Arab, Israeli, Jewish, Muslim, or Palestinian. Schools must be safe spaces for all and cannot be places where further violence is perpetrated.
While my hope is to set a tone for civil dialogue and express compassion, it is also to acknowledge a complex, evolving situation that can be politically and religiously divisive. The social studies classroom is uniquely positioned to discuss these necessary topics. As social studies educators, we are civility engineers. We can and should serve as models for civil discourse, but we cannot do it alone. It is incumbent upon all of us to educate ourselves fully about the complexities of this or any issue to ensure we do not share or make decisions based on false information. Parents and guardians also play a vital role.
Lastly, I join the call for peace. Silence can perpetuate violence, and it is our responsibility to speak out against injustice. As the late, great Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This message is a personal reflection, and I welcome feedback to it, as I am continually learning and striving for both a greater understanding of humanity and a more harmonious world.
Wesley Hedgepeth
NCSS President
[email protected]
A Statement on the African American History Strand
of the new Florida Social Studies Standards
August 3, 2023
The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) is the largest professional organization devoted exclusively to the teaching and learning of social studies and represents over 10,000 social studies educators. NCSS supports the development and implementation of social studies standards as recognized practices that ensure high-quality teaching and learning in schools. Adopted standards have become the driving force of instructional programs by informing classroom practices, curriculum frameworks, textbooks and other resources, and assessment items and protocols.1 Recently, Florida’s State Academic Standards for Social Studies were revised to include a new strand for African American History. While NCSS supports the Florida Department of Education in incorporating an African American History strand as part of its overall social studies standards, it is deeply concerned by the substance, inaccuracies, and misrepresentations of this strand, which ultimately will negatively impact student achievement and social studies teacher preparation, performance, and retention. In addition, it is equally troubling that, despite the creation of the African American History Task Force in 2021, Florida’s Department of Education chose to circumvent this advisory group when creating the strand.
In June 2021, NCSS released a statement, Developing State and Local Social Studies Standards, recognizing that there “is a great deal of variance among state social studies standards regarding their scope, length, disciplinary focus, and level of content specificity.” These variances allow for standards to best represent and serve all populations across a state. Regardless of these variations, students nationwide deserve a more complete history that includes the perspectives, contributions, and experiences of the people of the United States of America and the world. For example, the inclusion of African American history must not begin with slavery. When teaching ethnic studies and/or studying marginalized groups, it is important not to start with oppression. Beginning African American history with oppression is part of a larger failure to teach Black Joy.
During a thorough review of Florida's new African American History strand, multiple inaccuracies, omissions, and misrepresentations became apparent in both the standard benchmarks and their clarifications. In making this determination, NCSS relied upon its 103 years of experience in supporting the teaching and learning of social studies. Below are four standards and our concerns with the language and intent present in the strand:
History is complex and uncomfortable. Difficult subject matter such as racism has always been present in our nation and our world. History standards should not attempt to simplify or soften the difficult aspects of our nation's past. In order to teach a more complete history, it is important to include a range of voices—especially African American voices—on topics such as the question of African American citizenship and inclusion. An honest and accurate examination and evaluation of history provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary for academic growth and participation in a pluralistic democratic society. Lack of understanding of the past does not position students to understand the present or fully engage civically to make the country a better place.
Our position has remained consistent over the years that the standards that organizations, states, districts, and/or schools and teachers develop or adopt should be grounded in current scholarship, reflect best practices in social studies education, and be inclusive for all student backgrounds and ability levels. We support social studies standards and instructional programs which are grounded in inquiry-based learning, accepted understandings of historical content, and rigorous scholarship. We embrace educators in Florida and seek to promote their work with standards that are developmentally appropriate and that help them to create a space where the African American experience in United States history is appropriately contextualized and accurate. As stated in our Statement on Professional Ethics, it is incumbent upon social studies educators to “develop and use authentic voices and materials that do not oversimplify, distort, or manipulate the truth.” The current strand for African American History released by the Florida Department of Education impedes this essential ethical behavior of its social studies educators and, in turn, fails its students. With the implementation of this strand as is, Florida risks ill-preparing its students to productively participate in civil society.
1 https://www.socialstudies.org/position-statements/developing-state-and-local-social-studies-standards
of the new Florida Social Studies Standards
August 3, 2023
The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) is the largest professional organization devoted exclusively to the teaching and learning of social studies and represents over 10,000 social studies educators. NCSS supports the development and implementation of social studies standards as recognized practices that ensure high-quality teaching and learning in schools. Adopted standards have become the driving force of instructional programs by informing classroom practices, curriculum frameworks, textbooks and other resources, and assessment items and protocols.1 Recently, Florida’s State Academic Standards for Social Studies were revised to include a new strand for African American History. While NCSS supports the Florida Department of Education in incorporating an African American History strand as part of its overall social studies standards, it is deeply concerned by the substance, inaccuracies, and misrepresentations of this strand, which ultimately will negatively impact student achievement and social studies teacher preparation, performance, and retention. In addition, it is equally troubling that, despite the creation of the African American History Task Force in 2021, Florida’s Department of Education chose to circumvent this advisory group when creating the strand.
In June 2021, NCSS released a statement, Developing State and Local Social Studies Standards, recognizing that there “is a great deal of variance among state social studies standards regarding their scope, length, disciplinary focus, and level of content specificity.” These variances allow for standards to best represent and serve all populations across a state. Regardless of these variations, students nationwide deserve a more complete history that includes the perspectives, contributions, and experiences of the people of the United States of America and the world. For example, the inclusion of African American history must not begin with slavery. When teaching ethnic studies and/or studying marginalized groups, it is important not to start with oppression. Beginning African American history with oppression is part of a larger failure to teach Black Joy.
During a thorough review of Florida's new African American History strand, multiple inaccuracies, omissions, and misrepresentations became apparent in both the standard benchmarks and their clarifications. In making this determination, NCSS relied upon its 103 years of experience in supporting the teaching and learning of social studies. Below are four standards and our concerns with the language and intent present in the strand:
- SS.68.AA.2.3 Examine the various duties and trades performed by slaves (e.g., agricultural work, painting, carpentry, tailoring, domestic service, blacksmithing, transportation). Benchmark Clarifications: Clarification 1: Instruction includes how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.
The clarification is not a historically accepted interpretation of U.S. history. It falsely implies agency (and choice) among some enslaved humans and fails to recognize that individuals could not use these skills within the systems that were in existence. It might be better to have a standard that “Examines the achievements of enslaved peoples despite the oppression and degradation of slavery.” - SS.68.AA.2.1 Explain early congressional actions regarding the institution of slavery (i.e., Northwest Ordinance of 1787, Three-Fifths Compromise, Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves of 1808).
The Three-Fifths Compromise was a compromise arrived at during the Constitutional Convention. Referring to it as a congressional action diminishes the degree to which slavery was present in founding documents. The Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves was a result of a compromise made at the Constitutional Convention as well, with no law banning slaves allowed until 1808. Additionally, benchmarks regarding the presence of slavery in the Constitution appear in the grades 9-12 standards, but not in the grades 6-8 standards. A possible benchmark for both the grades 9-12 and 6-8 strands might be, "Examine the compromises made at the Constitutional Convention regarding the continued practice of slavery." - SS.912.AA.3.3 Examine the importance of sacrifices, contributions and experiences of African Americans during wartime from the Spanish-American War through the Korean War.
There is no clear expectation to explore segregated military experiences and why leaders created a segregated military. The timeline also skips from the founding to 1898. This is an opportunity to include the “sacrifices, motivations for joining the military, contributions, and experiences of African Americans during every American war.” - SS.K.AA.1.1 Recognize African American inventors and explorers (i.e., Lonnie Johnson [inventor], Mae C. Jemison, George Washington Carver).
This standard does not help students understand the systemic challenges that individuals of color had to confront in order to make these contributions. A suggested change from “i.e.” to “e.g.” would make a list that is not to be viewed as all inclusive. The overarching standard could be revised to cast the scope further and wider by focusing on the contributions of African Americans to the United States and/or the world. For example, “Evaluate the contributions African Americans have made to American culture, history, and government/politics.”
History is complex and uncomfortable. Difficult subject matter such as racism has always been present in our nation and our world. History standards should not attempt to simplify or soften the difficult aspects of our nation's past. In order to teach a more complete history, it is important to include a range of voices—especially African American voices—on topics such as the question of African American citizenship and inclusion. An honest and accurate examination and evaluation of history provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary for academic growth and participation in a pluralistic democratic society. Lack of understanding of the past does not position students to understand the present or fully engage civically to make the country a better place.
Our position has remained consistent over the years that the standards that organizations, states, districts, and/or schools and teachers develop or adopt should be grounded in current scholarship, reflect best practices in social studies education, and be inclusive for all student backgrounds and ability levels. We support social studies standards and instructional programs which are grounded in inquiry-based learning, accepted understandings of historical content, and rigorous scholarship. We embrace educators in Florida and seek to promote their work with standards that are developmentally appropriate and that help them to create a space where the African American experience in United States history is appropriately contextualized and accurate. As stated in our Statement on Professional Ethics, it is incumbent upon social studies educators to “develop and use authentic voices and materials that do not oversimplify, distort, or manipulate the truth.” The current strand for African American History released by the Florida Department of Education impedes this essential ethical behavior of its social studies educators and, in turn, fails its students. With the implementation of this strand as is, Florida risks ill-preparing its students to productively participate in civil society.
1 https://www.socialstudies.org/position-statements/developing-state-and-local-social-studies-standards
Silver Spring, MD -- On May 3, 2023, results from the 2022 administration of the National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Grade 8 Assessments in both Civics and U.S. History were released.
The percentage of Grade 8 students who demonstrated proficiency in content knowledge and skills was 22% in Civics and 14% in U.S. History. Overall scores in 2022, while not significantly different from the first year of these assessments in 1998 and 1994, respectively, still indicated a decline from gains achieved in recent assessments.
National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) is deeply concerned by the 2022 NAEP results and
contends that these results point to the continued, devastating effects that reducing or fully eliminating social studies courses and programs from schools — especially at the elementary-level — have on student achievement and preparation for college, career, and civic life. While the COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated these results, the continued trend of lost instructional time, the lack of a solid and daily foundation in social studies learning beginning in early childhood and elementary education, and the lack of investment in curriculum and teacher professional development all point toward a well-rounded education being out of reach for many children. As it did when the 2018 NAEP results were released, NCSS continues to call upon policy makers and educational leaders to stop this cycle of curricular neglect and make a long-term financial commitment to support social studies educators in teaching social studies in all grades, in all schools, and to all students. NCSS calls for action to ensure that all students — no matter where they attend school — have access to deep, rich subject-area content and exposure to relevant, powerful social studies instruction.
“If our social studies classrooms are laboratories for democracy where students are learning the content knowledge and skills necessary to be responsible community members and engaged citizens, we should be greatly troubled,” said Shannon M. Pugh, NCSS president. “This data suggests that students are not receiving a comprehensive program of social studies education in our nation’s classrooms, and we are especially underserving students from diverse and traditionally marginalized and minoritized backgrounds. If we want to leave our representative democracy in the hands of the next generation, we must ensure that they are receiving a high-quality social studies education that includes daily social studies instruction at all grade levels and that in our younger grades we are not pulling students from social studies instruction for remediation in other subjects. Democracy is important. Our republic is important. Social studies education is important because it supports and protects our nation’s ideals and values. To continue to marginalize social studies and not invest in our students and teachers is a threat to our future as a nation and our role as a leader within the global community.”
“Today’s NAEP results continue to demonstrate the urgent need for immediate attention to restore social studies education in the daily school experience of every child, from early learning to high school graduation,” said Lawrence M. Paska, NCSS executive director. “We have within our power the ability to turn these results around for every student. Just as we began to cut social studies programs, funding, and instructional time from the curriculum years ago, we can just as easily start to restore them now. Invest in social studies every day for all students. Invest in standards-based curriculum. Invest in rigorous assessments. Invest in teacher professional development. These investments alone would be a major step that our children at every grade level, in every school, deserve from our education system.”
Complete information on the NAEP assessment program may be found at nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard.
For media inquiries, contact
Joy D. Lindsey
Deputy Executive Director
[email protected]
301-850-7458
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Grade 8 Assessments in both Civics and U.S. History were released.
The percentage of Grade 8 students who demonstrated proficiency in content knowledge and skills was 22% in Civics and 14% in U.S. History. Overall scores in 2022, while not significantly different from the first year of these assessments in 1998 and 1994, respectively, still indicated a decline from gains achieved in recent assessments.
National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) is deeply concerned by the 2022 NAEP results and
contends that these results point to the continued, devastating effects that reducing or fully eliminating social studies courses and programs from schools — especially at the elementary-level — have on student achievement and preparation for college, career, and civic life. While the COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated these results, the continued trend of lost instructional time, the lack of a solid and daily foundation in social studies learning beginning in early childhood and elementary education, and the lack of investment in curriculum and teacher professional development all point toward a well-rounded education being out of reach for many children. As it did when the 2018 NAEP results were released, NCSS continues to call upon policy makers and educational leaders to stop this cycle of curricular neglect and make a long-term financial commitment to support social studies educators in teaching social studies in all grades, in all schools, and to all students. NCSS calls for action to ensure that all students — no matter where they attend school — have access to deep, rich subject-area content and exposure to relevant, powerful social studies instruction.
“If our social studies classrooms are laboratories for democracy where students are learning the content knowledge and skills necessary to be responsible community members and engaged citizens, we should be greatly troubled,” said Shannon M. Pugh, NCSS president. “This data suggests that students are not receiving a comprehensive program of social studies education in our nation’s classrooms, and we are especially underserving students from diverse and traditionally marginalized and minoritized backgrounds. If we want to leave our representative democracy in the hands of the next generation, we must ensure that they are receiving a high-quality social studies education that includes daily social studies instruction at all grade levels and that in our younger grades we are not pulling students from social studies instruction for remediation in other subjects. Democracy is important. Our republic is important. Social studies education is important because it supports and protects our nation’s ideals and values. To continue to marginalize social studies and not invest in our students and teachers is a threat to our future as a nation and our role as a leader within the global community.”
“Today’s NAEP results continue to demonstrate the urgent need for immediate attention to restore social studies education in the daily school experience of every child, from early learning to high school graduation,” said Lawrence M. Paska, NCSS executive director. “We have within our power the ability to turn these results around for every student. Just as we began to cut social studies programs, funding, and instructional time from the curriculum years ago, we can just as easily start to restore them now. Invest in social studies every day for all students. Invest in standards-based curriculum. Invest in rigorous assessments. Invest in teacher professional development. These investments alone would be a major step that our children at every grade level, in every school, deserve from our education system.”
Complete information on the NAEP assessment program may be found at nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard.
For media inquiries, contact
Joy D. Lindsey
Deputy Executive Director
[email protected]
301-850-7458
NCSS Response to the Advanced Placement (AP)
African American Studies Course Release February 15, 2023
Over the past several weeks, the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) has been monitoring the news coverage and statements related to the decision of the Florida Department of Education’s Office of Articulation not to offer the Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies course in the state of Florida. NCSS sought to make sense of the timeline and accuracy of statements by individuals and the media before providing an official response.
NCSS recognizes that states and districts have the right to approve or not approve individual courses and, in so doing, have a responsibility to use a transparent evaluation process that includes educators and other experts in the field. When courses, especially those that were created and supported by some of the United States’ most esteemed scholars and organizations, appear to have been rejected without a transparent process, all educators and community members should be concerned and have the right to request more information on the process used.
Of equal concern to NCSS is that the current political climate might negatively impact the great work that is being done throughout the United States to diversify curricula, use culturally responsive resources, and build content and pedagogical knowledge so that educators might better create lessons and other opportunities to address a longstanding marginalization of Black histories in the American education system. NCSS previously addressed concerns about “divisive concepts” laws that seek “to ban the teaching of such concepts as race, racism, white supremacy, equity, justice, and social-emotional learning, as well as to limit the teaching of content such as slavery, Black history, women’s suffrage, and civil rights.”
NCSS supports the teaching of Black histories in a manner that engages students in learning about the achievements, joy, perseverance, agency, and resilience of Black Americans. An attempt to block courses that fully portray the Black experience, such as the AP African American Studies course, places professional judgment boundaries on teachers’ freedom to teach and denies students the right to learn rich, complex histories that allow for multiple perspectives and deep exploration of the successes and struggles in our collective history across cultures. Every student has the right to learn about Black histories and the Black experience, and every teacher has the right to teach Black histories and the Black experience without the fear of intimidation and retaliation.
NCSS continues to advocate for the inclusion of Black histories and contemporary issues across K–12 curricula and calls on all education officials to provide students with the right to learn about, and from, the experiences of Black Americans. NCSS strongly believes in the educational value of offering diverse learning experiences in schools. We believe all students deserve the opportunity to learn African American studies and should have access to courses that support their pursuit of higher education and the study of African American history and culture in all education settings and throughout life.
NCSS remains committed to monitoring the political landscape of teaching social studies. We reserve the right to issue additional statements in the future regarding the AP African American Studies course if we believe it is necessary to do so.
African American Studies Course Release February 15, 2023
Over the past several weeks, the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) has been monitoring the news coverage and statements related to the decision of the Florida Department of Education’s Office of Articulation not to offer the Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies course in the state of Florida. NCSS sought to make sense of the timeline and accuracy of statements by individuals and the media before providing an official response.
NCSS recognizes that states and districts have the right to approve or not approve individual courses and, in so doing, have a responsibility to use a transparent evaluation process that includes educators and other experts in the field. When courses, especially those that were created and supported by some of the United States’ most esteemed scholars and organizations, appear to have been rejected without a transparent process, all educators and community members should be concerned and have the right to request more information on the process used.
Of equal concern to NCSS is that the current political climate might negatively impact the great work that is being done throughout the United States to diversify curricula, use culturally responsive resources, and build content and pedagogical knowledge so that educators might better create lessons and other opportunities to address a longstanding marginalization of Black histories in the American education system. NCSS previously addressed concerns about “divisive concepts” laws that seek “to ban the teaching of such concepts as race, racism, white supremacy, equity, justice, and social-emotional learning, as well as to limit the teaching of content such as slavery, Black history, women’s suffrage, and civil rights.”
NCSS supports the teaching of Black histories in a manner that engages students in learning about the achievements, joy, perseverance, agency, and resilience of Black Americans. An attempt to block courses that fully portray the Black experience, such as the AP African American Studies course, places professional judgment boundaries on teachers’ freedom to teach and denies students the right to learn rich, complex histories that allow for multiple perspectives and deep exploration of the successes and struggles in our collective history across cultures. Every student has the right to learn about Black histories and the Black experience, and every teacher has the right to teach Black histories and the Black experience without the fear of intimidation and retaliation.
NCSS continues to advocate for the inclusion of Black histories and contemporary issues across K–12 curricula and calls on all education officials to provide students with the right to learn about, and from, the experiences of Black Americans. NCSS strongly believes in the educational value of offering diverse learning experiences in schools. We believe all students deserve the opportunity to learn African American studies and should have access to courses that support their pursuit of higher education and the study of African American history and culture in all education settings and throughout life.
NCSS remains committed to monitoring the political landscape of teaching social studies. We reserve the right to issue additional statements in the future regarding the AP African American Studies course if we believe it is necessary to do so.
Who represents you on the Nebraska State Board of Education?
Contact your Board member with comments and concerns.
Contact your Board member with comments and concerns.
************************************************
http://news.legislature.ne.gov/edu/
Education Committee of the Nebraska Legislature -
During session, the Education Committee meets on Mondays and Tuesdays
in Room 1525 on the 1st Floor of the Capitol.
Sen. Dave Murman, Chairperson
District 38
Room 1107
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
(402) 471-2732
Email: [email protected]
http://news.legislature.ne.gov/edu/
Education Committee of the Nebraska Legislature -
During session, the Education Committee meets on Mondays and Tuesdays
in Room 1525 on the 1st Floor of the Capitol.
Sen. Dave Murman, Chairperson
District 38
Room 1107
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
(402) 471-2732
Email: [email protected]
