Civic Learning Week is just 3 weeks away. I am excited to be emphasizing the importance of civics among so many colleagues during the week. Just that week alone, Thinking Nation will be represented all over the country. We will send more information on the panels and presentations we are giving that week, but today I want to focus on our pre-CLW contribution. Next week, on February 24th, I will host a webinar sharing more about our new campaign, pledge, and framework, “Make Thinking the Minimum”: A New Minimum Standard for History Education. (If you haven’t yet, sign the pledge!)
Simply put, if we want history education to have the necessary leverage to cultivate the civic dispositions our society craves, it must be re-evaluated. Thinking Nation is putting forth this 7-part framework to make thinking the minimum in every history classroom in the country. The framework represents principles that can be adapted to local contexts, ensuring broad implementation.
Almost three years ago, I wrote how our discipline demands more respect than it currently receives. Two and a half years ago we put out a White Paper demonstrating the marginalized nature of social studies. Last year, NASBE interviewed me on the civic potential a refined approach to history could usher. Just a couple months ago, I wrote about how we need to change the way we assess history.
In short, our field needs to collectively unite to strengthen our resolve to cultivate the thinking citizens necessary to sustain our constitutional democracy.
We believe this framework and pledge is a meaningful foot forward that takes the commemorations of America250 and turns them into a commitment that commences America250+. I hope you will join us for the webinar and take away tools to make this new minimum standard a reality in your network.
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