4 months ago in Local Dave Dahl Photo: Associated Press
“Facts matter,” so we hear. But at a time when – maybe they don’t – social studies in school could be on the ropes.
Eighty percent of public school social studies teachers in a new survey say they need more help with instructional materials and training. But Dean Cantu, associate dean and director of the department of education, counseling, and leadership at Bradley University in Peoria, is more optimistic.
“I think we’ve made tremendous strides,” said Cantu, who is also executive director of the Illinois Council for the Social Studies. “The emphasis on inquiry, the emphasis on primary documents, interpretation, and analysis, with the emphasis on students taking informed action in their communities – these truly are standards of the 21st Century. They truly reflect what I believe is the skill set we want our students to