'Think like a historian': State approves new social studies standards

Social studies education in Connecticut public schools has been getting a major revamp. It’s something we’ve covered on this program. This includes the statute requiring local Indigenous history that rolled out this year, and a statute in 2022 calling for Asian American and Pacific Islander studies, rolling out in the fall of 2025.

The state legislature combined many of these mandates in 2021, calling for a "model curriculum." This curriculum should include Native American studies and AAPI studies, the bill stated, in addition to LGBTQ studies, climate change, financial literacy, military service and veterans, civics, media literacy, the principles of social-emotional learning, and racism.

It was a long list and a tall order, and prompted the Connecticut State Department of Education to gather a group of experts on all of these fronts, and construct a new set of social studies standards. This hour, we hear from some of them and preview that document.

GUESTS:

Steve Armstrong: Social Studies Advisor, Connecticut State Department of Education; Past President, National Council for the Social Studies

Tony Roy: President, Connecticut Council for the Social Studies; Social Studies Teacher, Bloomfield Public Schools

Dr. Brittney Yancy: Assistant Professor of History and African American Studies, Illinois College

Dr. Michael Bartone: Assistant Professor, Central Connecticut State University's Department of Literacy, Elementary, and Early Childhood Education

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