Chapter 3: In Search of The Social Studies Curriculum: Standardization, Diversity, and A Conflict of Appearances

The social studies curriculum is the most inclusive of all school subjects (Ross, 2001a). Determining the boundaries of what is taught in social studies requires decisions about what social knowledge is most important, which skills and behaviors are most valuable, and what values are most significant. As a result, the curricular terrain of social studies education is continually contested in the political arena. Yet, the large-scale studies of the field conducted in the last quarter of the past century (e.g., Morrissett, 1977; National Assessment of Educational Progress, 1980; Schneider & Van Sickle, 1979; Stake & Easley, 1978; Weiss, 1978; Wiley, 1977) suggested theappearance of uniformity in basic topics, sequences, course titles, textbook content, and instructional practices. Despite these findings, we know also that there is enormous diversity within the enacted curriculum as a result of the curricular decisions teachers make (e.g., Thornton, 1992).