Race, Gender, and the Teaching and Learning of National History

Abstract

State and national social studies stand ards have laid out what young people need to know about history, govern ment, and other social studies subjects, but they do not provide inform a tion on what young people actu ally know and believe about a subject. The perspect ives or frame works of know ledge and beliefs that young people bring to their social studies lessons are signi fic ant not only because they can serve as a scaf fold or spring board for learn ing, but also because they serve as filters through which teach ing, subject matter, and learn ing must pass. Young people’s perspect ives about the social world, like those of histor i ans and teach ers, are shaped by their iden tit ies as members of famil ies, communit ies, regions, and nations, as well as by their affil i ations with racial, ethnic, reli gious, and other groups. These iden tit ies and affil i ations influ ence if, how, and how much young people engage with social studies teach ers and texts in schools and how much they learn from school subjects.