Don't Know Much About History: High School and Social Studies
Students are not getting the same quality of instruction in history that their parents and grandparents received. Critics point to many reasons why, with some saying the major problem is vague history standards in most states.
Others point to the fact that the requirements of the No Child Left Behind law emphasize reading and math to the detriment of social studies subjects (history, government and geography).
General structure of history in American schools:
Elementary school
- One year of state history
- One year of U.S. history, usually covering the American revolution
Middle school
- One year of U.S. history, usually the American revolution through the Civil War
High school
- One more year of U.S. history, usually the Civil War to modern times
But colleges want to see that high school students are taking more than the minimum requirements for graduation. Experts suggest students take at least three years of social studies in high school. However, the more the better, and the more rigorous the better - with Advanced Placement and honors classes being the most desirable, if they are offered.
What Is Social Studies?
"One doesn't know whether to say 'social studies are' or 'social studies is'" says Diane Ravitch, professor of education at New York University. "People don't know if it's a science or a collection of disciplines."
"Social studies is an umbrella term covering lots of different things," says Michael Yell, a seventh-grade history teacher in Wisconsin and vice president of the National Council of the Social Studies. "Science is another example of an umbrella term," he explains. "In elementary school, science is one subject, but by middle school it starts breaking out into chemistry and biology."
The same is true with math: in elementary school, children study basic math, but by middle school, math has branched out into algebra and geometry. The specializing continues in high school with trigonometry and calculus.
In elementary school, many subjects - history, geography, current events and maybe some government - are lumped into the social studies category, but once students reach middle school they will start receiving instruction in the separate disciplines. By high school there are usually many more options in the form of electives, such as economics, psychology, even Russian studies. "There can be what are called 'area study' classes, depending upon what the teachers put together," says Yell.
History: The Spine of Social Studies
Prior to the 1930s, history was considered a core subject along with reading, writing and math. According to Ravitch, in her article A Brief History of Social Studies, social studies supplanted history in the early part of the 20th century. Educators and politicians felt that teaching chronological history was not the best use of school resources at a time when most Americans needed job skills and were not necessarily college bound.
The separate disciplines that make up social studies, however, can all be taught within the context of history. "You're getting government, economics, geography and sociology in history. They all come together in one particular time and place in history," says Ravitch.
While there are no national history requirements in K-12 schools, the most likely course to be required is United States history. In addition, every state requires at least one year of state history.
The generally accepted program of history instruction is to teach one year of U.S. history in elementary school, one more in middle school and one final year in high school. Students usually learn about the American Revolution in elementary school, then revisit the American Revolution in middle school and continue on through the Civil War. In high school, they cover the Civil War through modern times.
However, one year of U.S. history in high school will not impress college admissions offices. The College Board, creators of the SAT and Advanced Placement classes, recommends that students take one year of U.S. History, one semester of U.S. government, one semester of economics, one semester of world history or geography, and one additional semester of one of the above or another social studies elective. The SAT's competitor, the ACT, recommends that high school students take three or more years of social studies.
