Relevance, Activism, and Social Issues: Revisiting 1960s Social Studies Reform

• In Event: Poster Session 1
  In Poster Session: Approaches to Teaching the Social Studies

Abstract

This paper presentation examines the history of the “newer” social studies of the 1960s, a curriculum trend focused on issues, relevance, and social activism. The newer social studies was a curricular manifestation of the issues and protest movements of the era including the civil rights movement, protests against the war in Vietnam, and a rising counter-culture. It led to a revival of progressive pedagogy, a renewed social reconstructionist/critical orientation, and a revised curriculum in many schools. The author discusses the origins, development, and disappearance of the newer social studies as a case study in curriculum reform. Because of its emphasis on freedom and innovation the period provides an especially stark contrast with recent school reforms.

Author

• Ronald W. Evans, San Diego State University