ABSTRACT
In 1994, after decades of debate regarding the goals and purposes of social studies, the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) reiterated its commitment to civic competence as the “ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good” in “a culturally diverse, democratic society . . . [and] interconnected world” (NCSS, 1994). While the 1994 de nition brie y alludes to the place of “coordinated, systematic study drawing upon . . . traditional academic disciplines,” the curriculum standards document developed to accompany the new de nition organizes the eld around themes (also identi ed as strands)rather than disciplines.1 Most themes include organizing questions (i.e., “How can individual rights be protected within the context of majority rule?”), connections between organizing questions and civic competence, and grade-appropriate “performance expectations.” Rather than offer one more in an almost endless supply of content standards, NCSS chose to shift focus “from content . . . to method” (p. 158). Accordingly, the “guiding vision” behind the standards places disciplinary content within a coherent citizen education curriculum engaging “students in the dif- cult process of confronting ethical and value-based dilemmas [encouraging] students to speculate, think critically, and make personal and civic decisions based on information from multiple perspectives” (p. 159). Citizenship goals and purposes rather than (though not exclusive of) disciplinary structures would guide curriculum planning. To this end, NCSS offered an addendum to their standards, a “vision of powerful teaching and learning in the social studies” (p. 156).
