A Statement on the State of Elementary Social Studies Education in Michigan

A new research study from a team of social studies leaders in Michigan (including representatives from the Michigan Department of Education, intermediate school districts, regional educational service agencies, content area organizations, and Michigan universities) reveals the dire state of elementary social studies instruction in Michigan. National studies demonstrate how social studies has been disappearing from elementary classrooms for decades in part due to mandates on standardized testing in reading and math. Recent research confirms this is also happening in Michigan, despite research calling for protecting social studies instructional time to boost literacy scores.1

In this study, nearly 1,000 elementary teachers and administrators from all over Michigan were surveyed about the amount of time they spend teaching all academic subjects and about the curriculum, resources, and professional development they receive, specifically in social studies. Results showed that social studies has been severely marginalized in favor of reading and math, and educators receive little to no training in methods and content for teaching social studies to younger children. Educators say that the lack of time, prioritization, resources, and training are barriers to teaching social studies at all, if not well.

Social studies is where young children learn to be effective citizens; when neglected, it leaves middle and high school teachers catching up students–resulting in missing out on the time needed to cover the disciplinary skills and content required in the upper grades. Moreover, students miss opportunities to develop skills, knowledge, and dispositions necessary to think deeper, develop voice and agency to better engage in their current and future communities. The minimization of social studies learning in elementary schools is a threat to college and career readiness, civic life, and democracy itself.

For more descriptions of the study data, please visit: https://www.misocialstudies.org/K5Advocacy.html

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1 Duke, N. K., Halvorsen, A., Strachan, S. L., Kim, J, & Konstantopoulos, S. (2021). Putting PjBL to the test: The impact of project-based learning on second graders’ social studies and literacy learning and motivation in low-SES school settings. American Educational Research Journal, 58(1), 160-200