Chapter 1: Introduction: The “Wisdom of Practice” in the Challenging Context of Standards and High-Stakes Testing

Teaching in public schools today, in the context of the “shell game” that is high-stakes testing, must be completely frustrating: alternately pressured and frenetic, unimaginative and stifling. If we are not asking why anyone would want to teach in this climate, the curious among us must be asking how and what anyone could teach in it. That is, if teachers want to practice what they have learned about pedagogy that fosters both student achievement and student engagement, how and where do they do it? In the field of social studies, in particular, what are good teachers to do? What are their options if social studies is tested, especially if the assessment is narrowly conceived? Equally important, what are the options if social studies is not on the test because it is not considered essential to the curriculum?