Gender Equity in Social Studies

Abstract

In the United States, “social studies” is the term traditionally applied to the part of the school curriculum that draws primarily on history and the social sciences for the purpose of citizenship education. At the elementary level, social studies is typically an integrated subject concerned with educating children about society and preparing them to be effective citizens. In middle and high schools, the social studies curriculum is generally enacted through separate courses in history, geography, civics/government, and economics. Curriculum standards, national assessments, and teacher education in social studies education are organized in terms of grade levels, elementary (K-5), middle (6-8), and high school (9-12). Research in social studies generally follows the same pattern, focusing on integrated subject matter at the elementary level and on discipline-based teaching and learning at the secondary level (middle and high school). There are, of course exceptions to this pattern.1