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Although standardized testing of K-12 student knowledge and understanding garners considerable attention, few observers profess satisfaction with the assessments in place. In this exploratory paper, we report on the data gathered from an open-ended email survey of small, convenience samples of teachers and researchers. Although no clear consensus about alternative assessments of students’ historical knowing and understanding emerged, we argue that the potential for a consensus exists. Any emergent consensus, however, must be negotiated with several issues in mind.

This extended lesson plan uses the book Queen of the Falls to investigate the life of Annie Edson Taylor, the first person to successfully fall over Niagara Falls in a barrel Niagara Falls. Through the various activities, students will explore resources such as photographs, first-hand accounts, newspaper articles, songs, and poems from the era, to learn what life was like for women in 1901, and to discuss the events surrounding Taylor’s decision to venture over Niagara Falls. Several questions will be posed to the students including “How was Annie Edson Taylor a woman of her time?” “To what extent was Annie Edson Taylor a hero?” “Was Annie Edson Taylor’s trip over the Falls worth the attempt for fame and fortune?” The lesson concludes with the following question: “Was Annie Edson Taylor a woman of her time or by her design?”

This lesson uses Steel Town to explore the making of steel and life in a steel mill town during the Great Depression. Moving through four centers, students explore resources such as photographs, first-hand accounts, recipes, and songs from the era to learn what life was like at a steel mill, in a steelworker’s home and neighborhood, and throughout the town. Based on their analyses of the resources provided, students compare the benefits and drawbacks of technology to answer the ultimate question regarding steel production: “Is it worth it?” This lesson was created for use in a second or third grade classroom but can be adjusted for older students with the extensions provided.

From labor conditions to public health and environmental justice, globalization has created an increasingly complex web of issues surrounding human rights. Research in social studies education points to adolescents’ intrinsic curiosity when engaged in these multiple issues, as well as their idealistic thirst for involving themselves in social progress campaigns. Many students desire involvement and believe in the importance of human rights education within the formal educational setting, especially within social studies curriculum. We report the findings from a qualitative study conducted during a two-week intensive summer institute on human rights and genocide studies in western New York in the summer of 2011. In our study, we found while student participants felt empowered by the institute and their desire to take action was heightened during the experience, they questioned the disconnect between the genocide and human rights education in the Institute and the human rights education they experienced in their social studies classrooms. In comparing the two, they wished there were more authentic learning experiences and a higher level of academic rigor in their social studies classes. Although the New York State curricula, at the time of the study, included human rights education related topics, the interviewed student participants did not recognize its presence and felt human rights education is not a prevalent part of the enacted public school curriculum.

This qualitative case study investigated an interdisciplinary expedition in an urban high school (based on the Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound model). The author wanted to understand what happened during an expedition and how the Global History teacher perceived teaching a tested course in an Expeditionary Learning School. Findings indicated the teacher thought the expeditions students engaged in each semester assisted them in developing a sense of global awareness and in making interdisciplinary connections. The teacher also discussed challenges encountered when teaching the Expeditionary Learning curriculum to students who struggled academically. Though 35% of students failed the state Global History and Geography test at the end of the semester, the teacher remained committed to teaching with expeditions. This research highlights the teacher’s perceptions of the benefits and challenges of implementing expeditions in a state-tested course in an urban high school, as well as the need for additional supports for implementing this type of curriculum and preparing students for high-stakes exams.

In this paper, we outline the rationale for developing the Survey of the Status of Social Studies (S4). The instrument contains items for analyzing the organizational structure, instructional decision-making, professional attitudes, and demographics of social studies teachers. Nationally-inclusive data generated from this survey analysis were used to examine the technical and theoretical validity of the instrument. Incorporating factor analysis, findings suggest constructs embedded within S4 related to social studies pedagogy, content emphases, and technology-use that reflect extant theory. As such, the S4 and accompanying nationwide data set offer social educators a valuable resource for fostering professional development and policy.