Supt. Reykdal at WSCSS
On March 10 the
Washington State Council for the Social Studies hosted Chris Reykdal, Superintendent
of Public Instruction, for a breakfast address. Thanks to Linda Quinn, Ferndale
School District Superintendent, we have a graphic summation of Chris Reykdal’s
remarks. See a video clip as well.
Graphic representation of Supt. Reykdal's address at WSCSS
For
several years I’ve dreamed of deconstructing my Public Television shows into a
series of easily-searchable, stream-able teaching modules and offering them in
a well-designed package to teachers.
Rick
Steves’ Europe for Teachers has finally moved from my back burner to my front
burner. I’ve scanned through a thousand pages of TV scripts and found a world
of segments from my 120 TV programs that would be easy to offer as teaching
bites. I want to offer this program to teachers for free and I want to have it
available in a smart and user-friendly package in the near future.
Notice
that I said, “smart and user-friendly.” I know that I could be good-intentioned
and make something that just doesn’t suit the needs of curricula nationwide. Or
I could proceed in consultation with professional educators in a way that would
actually enable me to produce a service that would be a godsend for the needs
of teachers.
Please
let me know if you would be interested in reviewing this project and helping on
an advisory board of sorts as we proceed. Simply email me (rs@ricksteves.com) a brief response and
I’ll then be in touch with those of you who want to be on the team for this
exciting project. If you know of someone who would be excited about this project
and would have some expertise to contribute, I’d love to get your reference. If
you don’t care to be involved but have any direction or advice at this point,
that would be appreciated too.
Social Studies K-12
Learning Standards are currently under revision. The goal is for the revised
standards to be adopted in September, 2018. The schedule is as follows:
April—External Review; May—Bias and Sensitivity Study; June & July—Public
Comment; August—Final Editing & Formatting; September—Formal Adoption.
If you are interested in participating in the
external review process during April, please email Carol Coe at carol.coe@k12.wa.us so that your name may be added to the OSPI list
of reviewers.
On
March 21 the GATE Equity Series hosted a webinar
entitled Equity with AP+ Civics. Dr. Walter Parker, College of Education,
University of Washington, was joined by teachers Jerry Neufeld-Kaiser, Katie
Piper, and Rob Hallock, all of whom use project-based learning in their
classrooms and have written about their experiences in Social Education
January/February 2018.
The webinar was recorded and will eventually be posted. For now, you can view
the PowerPoint Presentation and visit the GATE
Equity site for additional resources.
Take a look inside Jerry Price’s classroom as students
discuss the Supreme Court case, Lynch vs Donnelly (1984), and as teachers
and administrators talk about the significance of a robust social studies
curriculum.
Full video: YELM
The
final House vote came on March 7: 95 yeas, 3 nays. With that, 2SHB 1896, which provides
direction and support for civic education, was sent to the Governor. On March
21, Governor Inslee, surrounded by numerous stakeholders who had worked
tirelessly on this bipartisan endeavor, signed the bill into law.
Signing of 2SHB 1896
This
important legislation supports civic education in three ways:
- It
requires that, by the 2020-21 school year, one-half credit of civics education
be offered as a stand-alone class for high school students.
- It
requires the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to establish
an expanded civics education teacher training program which provides for civic
education professional development learning opportunities for teachers. Two
demonstration districts will pilot evaluation standards and curriculum that may
be recommended for use in other schools across the state.
- It
transfers administration of the Washington History Day program from Washington
State Historical Society (WSHS) to OSPI, and establishes a History Day account
in the Treasurer’s Trust Fund.
The
Southern Poverty Law Center has produced Teaching Hard History: American Slavery. This work summarizes
a yearlong, multifaceted investigation: what students know, what teachers
teach, what textbooks cover, and what state standards demand.
With
this report comes Teaching American Slavery Through Inquiry, a white paper by
Kathy Swan, John Lee, and S. G. Grant, which shows how the project aligns to
the C3 Framework. Of special interest to teachers are the plethora of primary
source documents and several Inquiry Design Models
(IDM)
ready for the classroom.
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Every
year the United States District Court invites teachers to participate in a
judicial institute. Fifth through twelfth grade teachers on the west side of
the state are invited to participate in a Judicial Initiative, held in Seattle on
July 9, 10, and 11. Middle and high school teachers on the east side of the
state are invited to the 10th Judicial Institute, held in Spokane on
October 18 and 19.
OSPI Social Studies
supports standards-based learning and teaching for students and teachers across
Washington State. Information on Social Studies K-12 Learning Standards and
classroom-based assessments for civics, economics, geography, and history is available on the website. The site provides information on graduation
requirements, the laws and regulations governing social studies, and resources
(people, organizations, programs, and processes) that enhance social studies
curriculum and practice.
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OSPI’s Civic
Education Initiative (CEI) seeks to ensure that every student is provided a
high-caliber civic education from kindergarten through high school graduation.
This year’s work focuses on building the Washington Social Studies Commons and
WA C3 State Hub, an open educational resource featuring high-quality,
Washington-centric inquiries for use by K-12 social studies students and
teachers alike. If you would like to participate, please contact Carol Coe, Social
Studies Program Supervisor, OSPI, by phone (360-725-6351) or email: carol.coe@k12.wa.us.
Visit Social
Studies Teachers (SST) Connect. Explore the curriculum
maps
and the instructional
maps to
find contact information of colleagues in Washington state who are teaching the
same courses or working on the same instructional practices as you. Share your
contact information. Make 2017-18 the school year to meet and learn with
colleagues beyond your school and district.
Social Studies Teachers Connect
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