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In the 1950s, social studies education came under attack from both citizens and the government for the failure to promote citizenship. Events both at home and abroad eventually led to a collective reexamination of the overall purpose and goals of social studies. As a result, over fifty curriculum projects were developed to promote individual social sciences and advances in curriculum design. The purpose of this article is to examine some of the major projects developed during the new social studies movement. As well, this article provides readers with an explanation of the various causes that led to curriculum changes. Due to the large number or projects, the authors have selected eight of the major projects to discuss and highlight.

This research study focuses on fifth-grade African American students who attend an all-Black charter school whose administration and teachers are committed to providing Black history instruction throughout the year. To fulfill the school's mission, the teachers integrate additional resources into the curriculum that includes lessons and activities about Black history. Therefore, the study sought to answer the following question: How does learning Black history throughout the school year impact African American fifth-grade students' self-esteem and positive self-image? The authors examined student work, conducted observations and listened as the participants engaged in critical discussions about race and racism.

Way to Go (WTG) is a K-12 public charter school located in an urban mid-size city in Florida, with a 100% Black student population; all WTG students receive scholarships and free lunch. The 15 participants in this study self-identified as African American fifth-grade students. The authors conducted a qualitative research study that included 13 observations, an analysis of five student work samples and a focus group interview with seven students. They used interpretative phenomenology to gather African American fifth-grade students' experiences and their interpretations of these experiences (Moustakas, 1994) while acquiring information about Black history.

The themes that emerged are it's time to go, unsung heroes and Black history is exciting. In the first theme, they learned why Blacks migrated from the South to northern cities and understood why it was time for them to go. Next, they explored the history of unsung Blacks who inspired them to think about a variety of careers to pursue. Finally, they were excited to learn Black history because they understood the importance of learning this history in order to grapple with current events, and they recognized that knowledge of this history would improve their self-worth and life choices.

WTG charter school exemplifies what schools should attain for regarding the teaching of Black history. Since elementary school provides the foundation for learning, it is the best time to teach African American students about self-esteem and what it means to be proud of their Blackness. The fifth-graders in this study exemplified how African American students take pride in their history and have a positive sense of self-worth when taught Black history. Black history lessons and activities such as the ones utilized in WTG school will benefit African American students and contribute to their success as students.

Cultural geography is a unique, diverse, contested, and at times, confusing branch of study in the geography curriculum. Much like many other sub-branches of the social sciences, there has been significant controversy and struggle over the place of cultural geography in the curriculum. This article encourages social studies teachers to consider new approaches to teaching cultural geography concepts, while also utilizing a variety of instructional methods to engage students in a meaningful and enriching exploration of cultures all over the world. A rationale is discussed for incorporating the use of monuments and memorials as an instructional tool to teach cultural geography. In addition, this article provides teachers with a classroom tested activity on how monuments and memorials can be used as instruments to study cultural geography and how this topic can be implemented into a secondary geography or history classroom.

Over the last 40 years, K-12 education has seen a continuous and significant increase in the amount of mandated standardized testing. This rise in standardized testing has led many in the field to question the extent to which these tests are affecting students, teachers and schools. The purpose of this paper is to explore the results of a social studies standardized test, specifically, the Florida Civics End-of-Course assessment.

Researchers used population data for seventh grade students and aggregated countywide proficiency rates from 2013–2016 for comparative statistical measures. Descriptive statistics and regression analyses were utilized to identify emerging trends using mean proficiency percentages when accounting for race, gender and socioeconomic status.

Initial findings indicated disparity within each subgroup (R²=0.511 (2013–2014), 0.500 (2014–2015) and 0.456 (2015–2016)). Following an analysis of the results, the conclusion and implications discuss the influence of standardized testing in social studies education.

This is a large-scale project that has never been done.

This chapter analyses the character of Mrs Coulter in BBC/HBO TV show His Dark Materials (2019–ongoing). Mrs Coulter shows clear links with traditional fairy tale figures; in the words of actor Ruth Wilson, ‘She's fairy godmother and she's the nasty queen. She's like Snow White, and she's the Wicked Witch’ (HBO, 2019). Keeping in mind these intertextual references, but focusing on the text, I am going to study the ways in which Mrs Coulter's ‘being evil’ is constructed: are any motivations provided to account for her becoming evil?

Are we supposed to feel sympathy for her – a woman struggling for power in a patriarchal society? How do her interactions with other characters modify the ‘traditional’ roles she evokes and her perceived evilness? To answer these questions, I will employ theoretical tools stemming from queer theory and positioning theory. While arguing for the usefulness of such theoretical outlook for the study of villains, I aim to prove that Mrs Coulter is depicted as a thwarted good character, ruined not only by societal sexist norms, but also by the internalization of ideals typical of toxic masculinity.

This article discusses the efforts of two liaison librarians at William Russell Pullen Library, Georgia State University, to build a long‐term, sustainable partnership among teaching faculty, graduate students, and librarians in the development and maintenance of a Web‐based research guide for world history. The projects’ goals are: to provide access to the resources available at Pullen Library; to serve as a gateway to resources available on the Internet; and to showcase student contributions, including bibliographies and annotations of Web sites. The project is an organic endeavor, with the Web site’s organization open to periodic review and modification. Continuous discussions and mutual criticisms have marked the progress of the project. The authors see the success of this venture as a way to collaborate with more faculty, and increase the level of student participation on an ongoing basis.

IF SONS DID NOT EXTOL, many a worthy father would sink into oblivion and forever go unsung. As filial biographers, however, sons customarily meet with intimidating scorn and derision. There is a generally accepted notion that consanguineous biography is fraught more with fealty and filial frailty than with disinterested depiction. The best way to disprove this false assumption is to muster meritorious biographies written by scions and compare them with representative biographies of the ‘blame and blemish’ variety. Sympathetic assessment always stands up stronger than ostensible objectivity, for writers of the ‘warts and all’ kind of biography lose track of virtues and nearly always become engrossed in the imperfections of their victims.

In the March 1983 issue of the Moral Majority Report, Jerry Falwell, one of the leaders of the new right movement, leveled a very serious charge at librarians: they are failing to include “conservative” materials in their collections. According to him,