Originally published in TEACH Magazine, March/April 2024 Issue
By David Allyn
Social studies teachers often feel pulled in numerous directions at once. We want to cover national history and world history. The past and the present. Essay writing and public speaking. But there is a limited amount of time in the school year, and it often feels like we can’t give our students everything they need.
Meanwhile, in the United States, students’ knowledge of both history and civics is at an all-time low. Scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) showed a steep decline in 8th-graders’ knowledge and comprehension of history and civics. Only 13 percent of students rated as “proficient” in history, while just 22 percent reached proficiency in civics, the lowest percentages in decades.
David Allyn, PhD, teaches at Avenues: The World School in New York City. He holds a PhD in History from Harvard University and has taught at Princeton University and Marymount Manhattan College.
