Chapter 26: The Social Studies Disappearing Act: Can the PDS Model Help Stem the Tide?

This chapter responds to questions that center on the extent to which pre-service teachers in profession development schools (PDSs) are engaged in social studies teaching. Questions center on observations of social studies lessons, use of social studies methodology, and comfort levels of teacher candidates with social studies and social studies teaching. Survey data reveal that very little instruction in social studies was occurring in numerous urban PDS sites and that preservice teacher levels of comfort with social studies were, in general, low. The authors draw implications of this data and offer suggestions on how the PDS could work to remedy this imbalance.