How can schools teach the skills required for a strong democracy to flourish? What Kind of Citizen? asks readers to imagine the kind of society they would like to live in-and then shows the ways in which schools can be used to make that vision a reality. Westheimer draws on groundbreaking research on school programs and policies to sharply critique the current direction of school reform. He points to the many varied and powerful ways to teach children and young adults to engage critically, to think about social issues, and to participate in authentic debate that acknowledges that intelligent adults can have different opinions. But today's teachers are being forced to abandon these practices in favor of test-preparation in only a very narrow set of academic subjects. How did this happen? What can we do to set schools back on the right track? How can we realign school goals with what research shows parents, children, and teachers actually care about? How can we save our schools from today's myopic interpretation of what constitutes an education? Westheimer answers these questions and makes a powerful call for schools to become more engaging, more democratic, and more educative.

COVID-19 offers a unique opportunity to transform the K-12 social studies curriculum, but history suggests that changes to the formal curriculum will not come easily or automatically. This book was conceived in the space between the dismantling of our old way of life and the anticipation of what comes next. The authors in this volume-leading voices in social studies education-make the case that COVID-19 has exposed deficiencies in much of the traditional narrative found in textbooks and state curriculum standards, and they offer guidance for how educators can use the pandemic to pursue a more justice-oriented, critical examination of contemporary society. Divided into two sections, this volume first focuses on how elementary and secondary educators might teach about the pandemic, both as a contentious public issue and as a recent historical event. The second section asks teachers to reconsider many long-standing aspects of social studies teaching and learning, from content and instructional approaches to testing.Book Features: Guidance on how to teach about the COVID-19 crisis as a recent, controversial historical event. Examples of teaching approaches and classroom projects that align with the C3 Framework. Lessons about COVID-19 for use in K-12 classrooms, as well as chapters on the history of pandemics and on how teachers can help students cope with death and grief. A critical examination of the idea of American exceptionalism, the role of race and class in U.S. society, and fundamental practices within social studies education.

What does it mean to be ""patriotic"" in the United States after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001? And how have the prevailing notions of patriotism - loudly trumpeted in American media - affected education in American schools? In this wide-ranging and spirited book, renowned educational leaders, classroom practitioners, as well political activists answer these questions with insights, opinions, and hard facts. Contributors focus on critical issues related to patriotism and democracy in education including the social studies curriculum, military recruitment in schools, and student dissent. They investigate the ways our schools have changed since 9/11 and examine the efforts of educators who refuse to toe the new ""patriotic"" line. This timely volume provide a provocative yet grounded exploration of how schools are mediating national patriotic sentiments.

Exactly what are teacher communities? What are they after? How do they begin? Do they evolve through stages? How alike or different are they from one another? How are such communities built? It is these important questions that Joel Westheimer turns to in Among Schoolteachers. This is a compelling and thoroughly readable account of two middle schools-one urban and one suburban--that attempt to build communities which will foster student growth and learning. With much fine-grained detail about how each professional community conducted its daily affairs, the author delves beneath the surface to reveal enormous differences in the goals, structures, processes, and beliefs of these communities and offers a new conceptual model for understanding teacher communities in practice. This book shatters prevailing beliefs and furthers our understanding of the ways in which teachers' relationships impact their work and their lives in schools.

COVID-19 offers a unique opportunity to transform the K–12 social studies curriculum, but history suggests that changes to the formal curriculum will not come easily or automatically. This book was conceived in the space between the dismantling of our old way of life and the anticipation of what comes next. The authors in this volume—leading voices in social studies education—make the case that COVID-19 has exposed deficiencies in much of the traditional narrative found in textbooks and state curriculum standards, and they offer guidance for how educators can use the pandemic to pursue a more justice-oriented, critical examination of contemporary society. Divided into two sections, this volume first focuses on how elementary and secondary educators might teach about the pandemic, both as a contentious public issue and as a recent historical event. The second section asks teachers to reconsider many long-standing aspects of social studies teaching and learning, from content and instructional approaches to testing.Book Features: Guidance on how to teach about the COVID-19 crisis as a recent, controversial historical event. Examples of teaching approaches and classroom projects that align with the C3 Framework. Lessons about COVID-19 for use in K–12 classrooms, as well as chapters on the history of pandemics and on how teachers can help students cope with death and grief. A critical examination of the idea of American exceptionalism, the role of race and class in U.S. society, and fundamental practices within social studies education.

What does it mean to be ""patriotic"" in the United States after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001? And how have the prevailing notions of patriotism - loudly trumpeted in American media - affected education in American schools? In this wide-ranging and spirited book, renowned educational leaders, classroom practitioners, as well political activists answer these questions with insights, opinions, and hard facts. Contributors focus on critical issues related to patriotism and democracy in education including the social studies curriculum, military recruitment in schools, and student dissent. They investigate the ways our schools have changed since 9/11 and examine the efforts of educators who refuse to toe the new ""patriotic"" line. This timely volume provide a provocative yet grounded exploration of how schools are mediating national patriotic sentiments.