The Hechinger Report

FEBRUARY 25, 2019

citizenship test, which assesses basic knowledge of American history, according to new survey results released earlier this month by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation. Officials from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation say these results point to longstanding problems with the way American history is taught in schools.

American History 91

American History History Education History Education 91

Teaching American History

MAY 6, 2025

Ginny Boles needed to build her content knowledge in American history. Paradoxically, her love of this history had led her to major in classics as an undergraduate at UCLA, so as to read the Latin and Greek texts the Founding Fathers read as they formulated their plans for self-government. Next, her father called.

Primary Sources 52

Primary Sources American History Library Government 52

Teaching American History

APRIL 22, 2025

Invited to attend a TAH multiday seminar on the Cold War at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, social studies teacher Cade Lohrding was thrilled. Cade Lohrding teaches social studies for all three grades at Kiowa County Junior High School in Greensburg, Kansas.

Junior High 52

Junior High Library K-12 Social Studies 52

Active History Teacher

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

I knew podcasts were a valuable tool for learning, but I needed to find just the right podcasts for my US History classroom. Here are my favorite (so far) podcasts to use in my US History classroom. American History Tellers. American Scandal – Like American History Tellers, this is told in the form of story.

History 195

History American History Middle School Social Studies 195

The Hechinger Report

APRIL 14, 2024

Students gather once a month at my high school for what we call “equity lunch chats” with teachers and administrators. I also see my students’ hands go up when we study world religions, and they can share a story from home. Emily Muellenberg is a social studies teacher at Grandview High School in Aurora, Colorado.

History 139

History World Religions Inclusive Curriculum Heritage 139

Teaching American History

NOVEMBER 19, 2024

“To be a good member of your community, you really have to understand why people do the things that they do,” says Bryan Little, who teaches both on-level Government and AP Government at McPherson High School in McPherson, Kansas. That’s why good teaching about citizenship involves students in an intentional study of human behavior.”

Humanities 52

Humanities Teaching American History Government 52

Teaching American History

MARCH 11, 2024

As Publications Manager at Teaching American History , I frequently hear the following from our teacher partners: I love teaching with primary sources! I can’t expect a high school student to read an entire Federalist Paper!? appeared first on Teaching American History. But which one should I use?

Library 105

Library Primary Sources American History Social Studies 105

ED Surge

MARCH 15, 2024

As a high school social studies teacher, my job includes helping students learn to use evidence to present arguments, engage in civil discourse and take informed action to bring about change. This idea has been critical for me as a social studies teacher, but it goes beyond the social studies classroom.

American History 132

American History World History Social Studies History 132

Teaching American History

SEPTEMBER 10, 2024

Katherine Thrailkill considered careers in drama, law, and hi-tech sales before realizing all her interests and experiences pointed her toward teaching social studies. Not only was Mountain View the high school from which she’d graduated; Lindblom was a teacher she admired. Katherine Thrailkill at Summer 2024 MAHG.

American History 98

American History History Civics Government 98

ED Surge

OCTOBER 11, 2023

In 2020, California adopted a State Seal of Civic Engagement that high school students can earn upon graduation. As of 2022, 38 states required a semester of civics education in high school; that same year, the federal government increased spending on “American History and Civics” fourfold.

Civics 128

Civics Education Civic Engagement K-12 128

The Hechinger Report

SEPTEMBER 20, 2022

The program will be piloted this fall at selected schools and fully rolled-out in over 1,800 schools by the spring. The curriculum is part of the Hidden Voices Project , initiated by the New York City Department of Education’s Social Studies Department and the Museum of the City of New York.

History 113

History Heritage K-12 American History 113

The Hechinger Report

AUGUST 27, 2020

Ankita Ajith is one of four college-age friends who are petitioning the Texas State Board of Education to create an antiracist American history curriculum. They are advocating for core curriculum changes in social studies — specifically American history — classes.

Teaching 145

Teaching Elementary School Social Justice American History 145

ED Surge

FEBRUARY 22, 2022

I first acknowledged it subconsciously in my middle school years. Social studies and history classes weren't just academic discourse, they were social and emotional experiences. The absence of elephants from middle and high school curricula limits intellectual representation for students.

History 106

History Tutoring Pedagogy American History 106

The Hechinger Report

AUGUST 1, 2018

Students have access to hundreds of courses while they are in Illinois’ juvenile justice facilities, but they tend to focus on math, language arts, social studies and science. Students technically have access to hundreds of courses, but Jones-Redmond said the district focuses on math, language arts, social studies and science.

Social Studies 85

Social Studies Tradition American History High School 85

Teaching American History

JANUARY 5, 2024

George Hawkins , a 2019 graduate of TAH’s Master of Arts with a Specialization in Teaching American History and Government (MASTAHG) program , was named South Dakota Teacher of the Year in October. Learning of a Social Studies opening in an intriguing, “alternative” public high school, Hawkins considered giving teaching another go.

Teaching 52

Teaching Project-Based Learning American History Historic Sites 52

Teaching American History

DECEMBER 5, 2023

Two graduates of the Master of Arts in American History and Government (MAHG) program submitted essays on how they teach these skills to the Bill of Rights Institute’s 2023 National Civics Teacher of the Year Award , placing among the top ten finalists. Social studies teachers must lay the groundwork by earning students’ trust.

Civics 52

Civics Civic Engagement American History Government 52

Teaching American History

NOVEMBER 14, 2023

Amy Livingston, Chancellor High School, Fredericksburg, VA. Grade school had bewildered her. School administrators and teachers never picked up on Livingston’s hearing problem, and she remained in special ed until she graduated from high school. Taking on MAHG Studies Livingston applied for the fellowship.

Teaching 52

Teaching Geography Ancestry Primary Sources 52

Students of History

SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

If you're a US History teacher looking for PDF worksheets for your high school or middle school classroom, I have tons to share, including this 30+ page packet of free engaging assignments you can download and start using right away. This makes them easy to differentiate for special education students with accommodations.

History 52

History Primary Sources Lesson Plan American History 52

The Hechinger Report

APRIL 12, 2023

The anti-CRT efforts to restrict how race is taught have clashed with initiatives in several states, including South Dakota, Oklahoma and New Mexico, to teach Native American history — which has often been left out of instruction — more accurately and fully. The post States were adding lessons about Native American history.

American History 145

American History History K-12 Cultures 145

The Hechinger Report

AUGUST 7, 2023

One day this spring, Victoria Trice’s high school students in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, peered through virtual reality headsets as part of a lesson on Afrofuturism. LOUISVILLE Just blocks from where hundreds of protestors gathered near the Ohio River waterfront after the death of Breonna Taylor in 2020 sits Central High School.

History 98

History American History Teaching K-12 98

The Hechinger Report

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023

Jenna Saykhamphone, a senior at Annandale High School in Fairfax County, Virginia, helped start an equity team at her high school to fight stereotypes both inside and outside her school in suburban Washington, D.C. And, she added, “I also have to miss studying for my physics test to be here.”

History 103

History American History Ancestry Pedagogy 103

The Hechinger Report

SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

In Texas, a school board recently suspended and then voted not to renew the contract of a popular high school principal, apparently because he declared in a letter to the community that systemic racism is “alive and well.”. Texas’ legislation on teaching social studies , adopted in June, reflects this conservative critique.

Social Justice 111

Social Justice Education American History K-12 111

Doing Social Studies

OCTOBER 22, 2021

As we reboot Doing Social Studies, we’d love to introduce you to this month’s author, Nathan McAlister. Nathan McAlister is the Humanities Program Manager – History, Government, and Social Studies with the Kansas State Department of Education.

Primary Sources 67

Primary Sources Archiving Library American History 67

Zinn Education Project

JANUARY 8, 2024

High school history teacher Amanda Sandoval was one of hundreds of educators who received copies of Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad from the author Matthew Delmont and the Zinn Education Project.

History Education 52

History Education History Education Social Studies 52

The Hechinger Report

JUNE 15, 2022

Mask mandates in place at the beginning of the school year faced some resistance and were lifted in the spring. Ben Lawson , band and choir director at Redmond High School. Ben Wilson and Kami Karr stand outside of Redmond High School, in Oregon. Kami Karr , senior at Redmond High School.

Oral History 118

Oral History History High School Public School 118

The Hechinger Report

MARCH 28, 2022

There was always a group or two that wanted [social studies books] to stay as we had had it previously,” said Ed Richardson, who led the state department of education at the time. “No No matter what has happened since then to correct that part of history.”. Then, he said, he felt targeted by the Eagle Forum.

History 104

History K-12 Library Social Studies 104

Students of History

JANUARY 6, 2022

The insurrection of January 6th, 2021 is something that will be taught in US History classrooms as long as American History is a part of high school. However, ignoring this tragic day does a disservice to our students and to what we do as social studies teachers.

Lesson Plan 52

Lesson Plan Social Studies High School Civics 52

The Hechinger Report

OCTOBER 23, 2020

Today, Black students are still segregated into schools with less funding , fewer experienced teachers and fewer rigorous courses. Social studies classes spend only 8 to 9 percent of their time on Black history, treating it as a niche topic instead of a core part of American history.

Museum 141

Museum Education American History History 141

The Hechinger Report

JANUARY 14, 2018

To inform his lessons, Gorman chose a curriculum called Teach Reconstruction created by the Zinn Education Project, a collaboration between social justice education nonprofits Teaching for Change, based in Washington, D.C. and Rethinking Schools, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. history and social studies curriculums.

Teaching 108

Teaching Primary Sources K-12 History 108

The Hechinger Report

NOVEMBER 24, 2020

Like previous generations of Black students, you must not only master language arts, social studies, math and art, you must do so while still demanding equal treatment and funding for schools, diverse teachers, safe and healthy learning conditions and rich curricular offerings, including the study of Black people’s contributions to American history.

American History 129

American History Cultures Social Studies Economics 129

Zinn Education Project

MARCH 7, 2024

We share the text of their conversation for discussion in high school classrooms and professional development workshops. Wells-Barnett, is increasingly becoming a household name and being taught more commonly in high school, especially in Chicago, where I’m from. And of course, history and social studies teachers.

Primary Sources 98

Primary Sources History Economics K-12 98

The Hechinger Report

FEBRUARY 2, 2021

Students must be held accountable for learning the truth about American history and racism in this country. The public must push Biden to do more to achieve the goals that aren’t included in the executive order to reopen schools. We are ailing socially and politically. Biden’s $1.9 The failed insurrection on Jan.

Civics 94

Civics K-12 American History History 94

ED Surge

MAY 7, 2025

With a curriculum that includes slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, two world wars and the Civil Rights Movement, American history teachers are used to venturing into emotionally charged subjects. Conditions havent improved for social studies teachers since. We feel so polarized right now.

History 103

History Civics Museum American History 103

The Hechinger Report

FEBRUARY 4, 2024

Last spring, when the odds seemed far longer, Bob Cousineau, a social studies teacher at Pennridge High School, predicted that whatever happened in his embattled district would become a national “case study” one way or another. Bob Cousineau teaches social studies at Pennridge High School, in Pennsylvania.

Education Policy 143

Education Policy Education Advocacy Social Studies 143

The Hechinger Report

MAY 28, 2021

Related: Can patriotism and criticism coexist in social studies? This is particularly true for learning our history. Is American history education the problem? The post OPINION: The wrong roadmap for teaching American history appeared first on The Hechinger Report. citizenship exam.

American History 102

American History History Teaching Civics 102

The Hechinger Report

FEBRUARY 2, 2021

Samantha Palu, a high school government teacher in South Dakota, came to school on Jan. When she started at the school in August, she was told not to say anything “political” in class — a difficult mandate for an educator whose job it is to teach about politics. government and African American history in Hamilton, Ohio.

Controversial Topics 111

Controversial Topics Social Studies Government American History 111

The Hechinger Report

JANUARY 25, 2021

The crowd cheered at the idea that people like them — mostly white, mostly male — were the true heroes of American history. Most Americans were appalled. High school social studies teachers and scholars of American history don’t deny that the nation’s story is full of mobs, civil unrest and violence.

Teaching 140

Teaching Civics American History Controversial Topics 140