ABSTRACT
Like many school districts around the country, Oakdale public schools required students to complete United States history classes in the fifth, eighth and eleventh grades. Fifth grade teachers taught U.S. history from the beginning of human settlement through the Civil War; eighth and eleventh grade teachers taught chronological courses from the beginning of settlement through the Vietnam War. In addition, most teachers taught a unit on black history in February during Black History Month. During the period of the study, Michigan had a state social studies curriculum framework, but did not have standardized tests in social studies or other subjects. As a result, teachers had considerable discretion on what and how to teach about race and rights in history.
