As we close in on the end of this podcast season, and the end of another busy school year, we’re continuing to challenge ourselves with the question: Why are we still doing that? (Also the title of a great little book by Persida and William Himmele!) In this episode, we’re looking at social studies - why do we continue to short-change it as an instructional priority? In this episode, SST8’s Sarah Egan-Reeves talks to two state and local leaders in the area of social studies: Jim O’Connor, President of the Ohio Council for the Social Studies, and Adam Motter, a Learning Specialist for Social Studies in Akron Public Schools. In this ever-changing and complex society we live in, it’s critical that students understand our past and present in order to be prepared for the future - and we know that high-quality social studies instruction is a major part of how our children prepare to participate in our society as adults… and we know that it contributes to improved reading ability and overall learning!

Co-Host: Sarah Egan-Reeves, SST8 Educational Consultant

Additional Resources

Ohio Council for the Social Studies

Sojourner Truth statue to honor Akron’s historic role in women’s suffrage movement (article | 2021)

Attack on Capitol, Inauguration Offer Real-Time Social Studies Lessons (article | 2021)