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What social studies teachers think and do

October 1, 2010 By

Social studies teachers share the values of ordinary Americans, concludes High Schools, Civics, and Citizenship: What Social Studies Teachers Think and Do, a new American Enterprise Institute study.

Eighty-three percent of high school teachers surveyed believe that the United States is a “unique country that stands for something special in the world,” and 82 percent say high school students should “respect and appreciate their country but know its shortcomings.” This tracks closely with surveys of the general public.

Only 36 percent say it is absolutely essential to teach high school students “facts (e.g., location of the fifty states) and dates (e.g., Pearl Harbor).” Factual knowledge ranks last on list of 12 items. Knowing what’s guaranteed by the Bill of Rights ranks first. (One could argue that’s factual knowledge.)

Only 56 percent of teachers agree that “by graduation, virtually all students in my high school have carefully read the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.”

Teachers split on whether their school districts sees social studies as “an absolutely essential subject area.”

  • Seven in ten (70 percent) say social studies classes are a lower priority because of pressure to show progress on statewide math and language arts tests.
  • Yet social studies teachers want to hop on the testing bandwagon: 93 percent say “social studies should be part of every state’s set of standards and testing.”

    • Teachers stress things that embody a certain spirit of America,” such as the Bill of Rights, “but not about how that spirit is translated into governance” through concepts like federalism and the separation of powers, writes Rick Hess.  Only 24 percent of teachers are “very confident” their students can identify the protections in the Bill of Rights by the end of high school; 15 percent think their students understand federalism and the separation of powers, and 11 percent believe their pupils understand the basic precepts of the free market.

    If teachers with “some confidence” are factored in, half say their students are graduating with an adequate understanding of civics and citizenship.

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    Students cowboy up

    December 9, 2009 By

    A teacher’s cowboy curriculum is motivating high school students in Colorado and elsewhere, reports the Denver Post. Ann Moore, who teaches at-risk students and English Learners at Cherry Creek High, was inspired by Jim Owen’s Cowboy Ethics, which aims to teach values to Wall Street bankers. Her curriculum is based on Owen’s 10-point Code of the West.

    1. Live Each Day with Courage
    2. Take Pride in Your Work
    3. Always Finish What you Start
    4. Do What Has to Be Done
    5. Be Tough, But Fair
    6. When You Make a Promise, Keep It
    7. Ride for the Brand
    8. Talk Less and Say More
    9. Remember That Some Things Are Not For Sale
    10. Know Where to Draw the Line

    Whether it’s historically accurate isn’t really the point. The code promotes traditionally masculine behaviors that resonate with teens who are likely to be growing up without a father.

    “The class teaches values that America doesn’t really hold that much anymore,” said Trevor Unruh, 14. “I’ve learned to think about cowboy values when tough things come my way.”

    Unruh is learning the principles this semester. On a recent morning, the core cowboy values — such as courage, self-reliance, duty and heart — were written on the board in his class for kids with emotional disabilities at Cherry Creek.

    . . . In a recent class, they sharpened their critical-thinking skills by answering questions designed to elicit their own personal values.

    Would you rather end hunger or hatred?

    Would you rather always lose or never play?

    Moore’s curriculum has spread to other states. To make time for the cowboy curriculum, a Scottsbluff, Nebraska school dropped Shakespeare from ninth-grade literature classes.

    Filed Under: Education Tagged With: ,

    The speech

    September 7, 2009 By

    President Obama’s speech to students has been released. As I suspected, he will call  for students to work hard, learn from their failures and make no excuses.

    . . .  at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.
    He will tell kids they owe it to themselves to find out what they’re good at.
    . . . You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.
    The country needs the knowledge, problem-solving skills, insight and ingenuity of a new generation to solve its challenges.
    We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.

    Obama will talk about growing up without a father and without much money.

    Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.
    But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.
    Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.

    He gives examples of young people who succeeded despite obstacles and urges students to set goals for themselves.

    Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn.

    Success comes hard, Obama says in the speech. You won’t do everything right the first time, but you can learn from your failures and try harder the next time.

    You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.
    “Don’t be afraid to ask questions.”  Don’t give up on yourself.
    The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.
    “Get serious” about your education, Obama concludes.
    I think it’s an excellent speech. I wonder what the critics will find to justify their fears. He uses himself as a role model? Well, he says he made mistakes but got second chances that let him pursue his dreams. That doesn’t seem very “Dear Leaderish” to me. Should he tell students they have a duty to their country — not just to themselves — to become the problem solvers and innovators of the future? It’s not what I would call a radical idea. These are old-fashioned American values.
    Update: Former First Lady Laura Bush, a former teacher and school librarian, told CNN, “There’s a place for the president of the United States to . . . encourage schoolchildren” to stay in school. She added that it’s “really important for everyone to respect the president of the United States” and said her husband believes President Obama is tackling a tough job and deserves “respect and no second-guessing” from a former president.  If ever there was a role model of grace and civility that nobody’s going to follow . . .
    Mickey Kaus comes up with some gag-worthy phrases:

    Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn.

    Kaus thinks Obama should concentrate on “two wars and a health-care bill” and leave refurbishing schools to people who aren’t president of the United States of America.

    Is he Superman? Obama’s willingness to cut out all the other players does suggest an unnattractive solipsism and egotism at best and  … a troublesome cult-building instinct well, let’s just leave it at that.

    In other words: Keep your day job, Mr. President.

    Filed Under: Education Tagged With: ,

    Teaching values in an ex-Catholic school

    March 10, 2009 By

    D.C. Catholic schools that converted to public, secular charter schools still teach values, reports the New York Times.

    Holy Name,  the Trinidad Campus of Center City Public Charter Schools, serves predominantly low-income black students.

    Where mornings at Holy Name began with the Lord’s Prayer, Trinidad students start each day with a recitation of the school honor code: “I will arrive at school each day on time and ready to work. I will treat all with respect and dignity. I will solve any conflicts that arise peacefully. I will care for and protect our environment.”

    Enrollment is up now that there’s no tuition to pay. Most students came from public schools. Most teachers are Holy Name veterans, including a few nuns.

    Classrooms are filled with discussions not of the Bible and Jesus but of 10 “core values” — perseverance and curiosity, for instance — that are woven into the curriculum.

    . . . Students are constantly prompted by teachers to relate their studies — whether in history, science or art — back to the core values. One day last week, (fourth-grade teacher Barbara) Williams circulated around the classroom, posing questions about the assigned short stories in their literature textbook. What value was that selfish king missing? What did the seamstress’s hard work demonstrate?

    The new charters have a lot more money to spend than they did as private schools: Funding averages $11,879 for each student, up from $7,500.  That’s enabled Trinidad to raise teacher pay by 22 percent, hire a special education instructor, buy science laboratory kits and replace 13-year-old social studies books.

    Some New York City Catholic schools, at risk of closing due to lack of funds, may convert to charters.

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