Social Studies Education News: Supt. Reykdal's Address, AP+ Gov't and MORE!

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Superintendent Reykdal Talks Social Studies

Chris
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.

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Graphic representation of Supt. Reykdal's address at WSCSS

An Invitation from Rick Steves

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.


Become a Reviewer for K-12 Social Studies Learning Standards

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.


Civics in the classroom

AP+ American Government and Project-Based Learning

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. 


Student Civic engagement and empowerment

Ridgeline Middle School

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


Civic collaboration

2018 Legislature Supports Civics

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.  

bill signing
Signing of 2SHB 1896

This important legislation supports civic education in three ways:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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. 


Teaching Hard History: American Slavery

Teaching hard history

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.


Judicial Institutes Provide Extraordinary Professional Development

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. 

Western Districts

Recurring Features: OSPI’s Civic Education Initiative & Social Studies Teachers Connect

Social Studies

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. 

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.


SST Connect
Social Studies Teachers Connect