Chapter 6: The Status of Social Studies Programs

This chapter, in the interest of providing readers with a relevant history of alternative views of social studies curricula, describes seven different conceptions of social studies curricula. In this way, readers can consider their preferences and values that provide the foundation for how we prepare young citizens. Serious professionals should also become familiar with the references. Young citizens everywhere are every nation’s most precious possession. Given the rise of terrorism, the next few decades are likely to be highly challenging. A great responsibility resides in the office of citizen in a democracy to shape a system where its citizens must prove that self-governance can work even in a very diverse society, in a very complicated world and in very troubling times.