| Social Studies – Preparing Students for College, Career and Civic Life |  |
| Teaching & Learning
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- Debate lingers about the celebration of Columbus Day
While there is no disputing the historical significance of Christopher Columbus' arrival and subsequent voyages to the New World, some people question whether it's something that should be marked with school and work holidays. First marked as a U.S. holiday in 1934, Columbus Day's meaning has changed over the years. Some people interviewed in this article say the holiday has become less relevant and marked by political concerns because of the ensuing treatment of native people by Columbus and other European explorers and settlers. The Herald Mail (Hagerstown, Md.)
(10/5)
 
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Author says Native American history is ignored in Columbus studies:
Schools are long overdue in examining the history of the Tainos and other Native Americans in the context of Columbus Day, writes Bill Bigelow, former history teacher and author of "Rethinking Columbus." Bigelow writes that the Tainos, who inhabited the islands where Christopher Columbus first landed, are largely unknown to students today. "How do we explain that? We all know the name of the man who came here from Europe, but none of us knows the name of the people who were here first -- and there were hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of them. Why haven't you heard of them?" he writes. The Huffington Post
(10/4)
- IB seniors to collaborate on project with elementary students
Nine Michigan high-school seniors enrolled in an International Baccalaureate diploma program will help a group of 60 elementary-school students complete projects on environmental sustainability. Students also will work to educate students about the IB program and Grand Rapids City High Middle School's status as a Center for Economicology, which is defined as economics, environment, ecology, ethics, empathy and education. "These students are ready to lead other kids in the community to have a sustainable lifestyle," school principal Michael Pascoe said. MLive.com (Michigan)(free registration)
(10/2)
 | Dust Bowl National Youth Summit:
On October 17, 2012, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and WETA Television are offering a unique opportunity to engage middle and high school students in a national dialogue with renowned filmmaker Ken Burns and environmental experts to discuss contemporary environmental issues and the legacy of the Dust Bowl. REGISTER HERE |
| Standards & Assessments
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- Students who focus on history, core classes score higher on SATs
Students who take a core curriculum score higher on the SAT, on average, than those who don't, according to the College Board's 2012 SAT Report on College and Career Readiness. The core curriculum is defined as four or more years of English, and at least three or more years of math, science, social science or history, writes Kathryn Juric, vice president of the College Board's SAT Program, in this opinion article. She writes that increasing core curriculum completion and encouraging greater participation in Advanced Placement and other classes will help prepare more students for college. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Get Schooled blog
(10/7)
- Ill. district tests standards-based report cards
An Illinois district will pilot the replacement of letter grades on report cards for kindergarten, first- and second-grade students with new standards-based report cards. The new report card, which may expand later to other grades, seeks to give parents and students more details about achievement. "It's a very different way of reporting our children's progress, but a better way," said special-education director John Hart, who, with educational support programs director Diane Hampel, leads the initiative. The News-Gazette (Champaign-Urbana, Ill.)
(10/7)
| Technology in the Classroom
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| Social Studies & Civic Life
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- Historian digitally preserves women's history resources
 Letters and other resource documents of the National Women's History Museum are being digitized with the help of Kristen Gwinn-Becker, founder and CEO of HistoryIT of Evanston, Ill. Gwinn-Becker, who earned her doctorate in U.S. history from George Washington University, advises museums, nonprofit groups and other organizations about how to enhance and organize their databases, and make them easier to use. "We want to digitize materials for preservation," she said. Chicago Sun-Times
(10/5)
| NCSS Updates
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One week left to submit a proposal for the 2013 International Social Studies Conference
The deadline to submit a proposal to present at the 2013 International Social Studies Conference in Fez, Morocco, is October 15. Get more information about the conference, including a preview program, registration rates, and instructions on proposing a session on our website.
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October TSSP
 The October 2012 issue of The Social Studies Professional, the newsletter for members of the National Council for the Social Studies, is available for download on our website.
| SmartQuote
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 | The ability to deal with people is as purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee and I will pay more for that ability than for any other under the sun."
--John D. Rockefeller,
American industrialist and philanthropist
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Eighteen states have partnered with Encyclopaedia Britannica to offer digital content for schools. Now, the Arkansas Department of Education has signed an agreement expanding that program by providing more resources through Pathways: Science. The announcement follows a decision earlier this year by the encyclopedia publisher to cease its print edition. 
