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The Tragedy of American School Reform pp 185–208Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Can We Transcend the Grammar of Social Studies?

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Abstract

In 1977, on the basis of his survey of social studies, Richard Gross proclaimed, “The traditional pattern of high school social studies offerings, rather stable since 1917, finally has been shattered.” Some states required fewer social studies courses, others permitted more local options, and an increasing proportion of social studies time was devoted to electives. In the mid-1980s, Carole Hahn took another look at the findings of the Gross survey using data collected in 1982–1983 and found that several of his conclusions warranted revision due to changes in the intervening years. She found that the dual trends of reducing social studies requirements and increasing electives may be reversing. The most frequently required courses remained US history and US government. Other frequently required courses included state history or government, economics or “free enterprise,” and world geography or cultures. Social studies electives were on the decline and Problems of Democracy had become a distant memory. As in the Gross survey, elementary social studies was in a continuing decline. Additional trends included an increase in mandates for economics education, sometimes labeled “free enterprise,” and new emphases on law studies, ethnic studies, global studies, and career education.

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Notes

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. San Diego, California, USA

    Ronald W. Evans

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© 2011 Ronald W. Evans

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Evans, R.W. (2011). Can We Transcend the Grammar of Social Studies?. In: The Tragedy of American School Reform. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230119109_8

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