CHAPTER 3: From the Field: What Social Studies Teachers in Three States Report They Do in the Classroom

Much of the recent data on the state of social studies teaching has focused on the impact of NCLB on the decline of instructional time in elementary classrooms, though little is known about what occurs during instruction. To address this concern the Survey on the Status of Social Studies (S4) asked K–12 teachers to report on the current status of their social studies curriculum and instructional practices. The survey investigated the impact of mandated testing, social studies curriculum goals and concepts, and teachers’ instructional strategies in the classroom. This chapter analyzes the findings from three states (Kansas, Oregon, and Virginia) and compared the results to data from the national survey. Our analysis addressed four questions: 1) How much instructional time is devoted to social studies in elementary and secondary classrooms, and how has mandated testing influenced the time available? 2) How often and in what types of instructional activities are students engaged? 3) What are the major goals and key concepts of the social studies curriculum? 4) How do the three states compare to each other and to the national findings?