Learning for Public Value: Making Community History in the High School Classroom

• In Event: Curriculum and the Classroom: Using Theory to Conceptualize Everyday Practice

Abstract

This paper argues for a conceptualization of curriculum where learning is directed toward the goal of creating public value. This would recognize a broader range of outcomes than are commonly regarded as legitimate, including not only the individual learning of participants but the social value of the work they produce. A case study is presented in which 11th grade history students create an online wiki exhibit about an historical incident of racial violence in their community. The case documents and analyzes the various forms of public value created, as perceived by students, teachers, historians, and members of the public.

Author

• Robert Lucas, Stanford University