The Rise and Fall of Civic Education: The Battle for Social Studies in a Shifting Historical Landscape

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Social studies is a field in crisis. The crisis stems from failure to establish the very foundation of social studies purpose in public education: civic education. Social studies advocates have never put forth a coherent method for teaching civic education because policymakers and the public have been unable to agree upon a general definition of civic education. This issue has disrupted the field since the early days. As educators sought to include civic education within public schools as a dedicated field, social studies evolved into a blending of history, social sciences, and civic education. Social studies evolution never resolved the differences between the three, with each discipline striving to control the narrative. Instead of creating a unified field, the disciplines devalued social studies and thus any discipline associated with it. The Rise and Fall of Civic Education: The Battle for Social Studies in a Shifting Historical Landscape investigates the changing definitions and purposes ascribed to social studies in the United States through time. This result is viewed through the rising tensions from culture wars as Americas divisive politics fight to control the narrative of the disciplines within social studies.

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In The Rise and Fall of Civic Education: The Battle for Social Studies in a Shifting Historical Landscape, Michael Learn takes the reader through the crazy quilt that is the field of social studies education. Focusing on the development--and redevelopmentof curriculum, Learn depicts a school subject in search of a center. That search would be hard enough in a vacuum; that it takes place within a revolving door of cultural norms suggests that it will not end anytime soon. -- S.G. Grant, Bartle professor, social studies education, Binghamton University
It is nice to have all this history of social studies and the state of the field in one place. There is great value for newcomers in understanding the field and may foster an appreciation for where it has fallen short and bolster their imagination for ways forward that offer greater attention to more recent scholarship around issues of equity, critical theories, post-human theories, arts based, and controversy and issue based work. This work may inspire those to guide instruction and shape curriculum. -- Andrew L. Hostetler, professor of social studies education, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University
In his new book, Michael Learn powerfully demonstrates that the current debates over the teaching of social studies have deep roots. It describes a field in crisis, delving into its contested and dynamic history. Ideal for educators, historians, parents, policymakers, and anyone interested in the intersection of education and society, The Rise and Fall of Civic Education: The Battle for Social Studies in a Shifting Historical Landscape offers a thorough and thought-provoking examination of how debates over the social studies curriculum reflect profound fissures in American society and conceptions of citizenship. -- David Silkenat, Richard J. Milbauer chair of southern history, University of Florida
Recommended for undergraduates and graduate students in social studies teacher education programs and students interested in curriculum history. * Choice *

Author Bio

Michael Learn has taught social studies courses for more than 20 years at various levels ranging from 6th grade through the university level. His doctorate is in institutional quality in public education with a special focus on social studies standards and assessment.