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Council of State Social Studies Specialists

The Council of State Social Studies Specialists, founded in 1965, provides a vehicle for state social studies personnel to exchange ideas. Its members include specialists, consultants, and supervisors with responsibilities for social studies education in state departments of education or public instruction. The membership officially meets once a year just prior to the annual convention of the National Council for the Social Studies. Other meetings familiarize members with new developments and afford opportunities for cooperative endeavors.

The members have many common rules, problems, and responsibilities, but each has a position that is somewhat unique. State social studies specialists occupy positions that require multiple roles to strengthen instruction for students. Their activities require interaction with local schools within the state; with the bureaus, offices, and divisions of the state education department; with institutions of higher education within the state; with programs established by state and federal legislation; with professional organizations; and with public and private agencies outside the state education department. The specialists also are leaders on social studies education among school personnel throughout the state.

Roles of State Social Studies Specialists

Resource to Local Schools

State social studies specialists provide leadership in developing and improving education in local schools in many ways, including:

• helping schools improve local program guidelines through curriculum studies;

• providing consultative services to schools;

• planning and providing in-service education programs for schools;

• developing criteria to help schools select and use testing and audiovisual materials;

• consulting on the selection of state-adopted social studies textbooks;

• communicating and disseminating information on social studies developments to schools through bulletins and newsletters;

• help schools prepare federal grant proposals;

• encouraging and assisting with experimentation, innovation and research in schools;

• coordinating the development of state social studies frameworks;

• developing educational television programs for social studies; and

• serving on state and regional accrediting teams to enforce and improve social studies standards in schools.

Liaison within the State Education Agency

State social studies specialists serve as resources for specialists in other areas and as spokespeople for social studies education in their state department of education by engaging in activities such as:

• conducting research on the current status of local school program needs, both within and outside the state, in social studies;

• assisting in the development of the state education department’s philosophy, objectives, plans, policies and guidelines;

• participating in the planning of statewide conferences;

• cooperating with specialists in other bureaus and divisions;

• serving as resource people or official spokespeople for social studies;

• communicating ideas for legislative action;

• advising about textbook adoptions;

• cooperating and participating in the evaluative activities of the state education department;

• assisting offices of certification in the study of criteria to establish and revise standards;

• reviewing federal program proposals and cooperating in planning efforts to use federal program funds most effectively;

• helping develop course and graduation requirements; and

• planning educational television programs.

Intermediary with Institutions of Higher Education

State social studies specialists are in a unique position to provide colleges and universities within the state information they seek in planning and implementing their teacher education programs. They are able to perform this service in several ways, including:

• giving college and university personnel vital information on local social studies programs and current state and national curriculum activities;

• providing consultative services to college and university social science and education departments;

• promoting cooperative working relationships between professional educators and scientists;

• offering feedback on the relevance of teacher-education programs;

• serving as liaisons in improving understanding between local school districts and institutions of higher learning within the state;

• identifying cooperative teachers for student-teacher programs and helping place student teachers;

• involving college and university professors on statewide social studies curriculum committees;

• demonstrating new and innovative teaching strategies and materials;

• encouraging the use of college personnel as consultants for state and local in-service programs;

• developing, together with college and university personnel, social studies courses designed for preparation and continued education for school personnel;

• helping evaluate teacher-education programs and encouraging the use of college and university personnel in evaluating local school programs; and

• assisting in the development of teacher certification standards for social studies program approval in teacher-education institutions.

Advisor for Programs Established by State and Federal Legislation

For programs that embrace social studies education, state specialists actively promote optimal benefits in many ways, such as:

• helping determine local and state education priorities;

• assisting in the writing and interpretation of state guidelines for programs that involve social studies;

• helping local schools plan, write, and submit project proposals;

• reviewing and evaluating social studies projects supported with state or federal funds;

• encouraging local schools to seek special funds for social studies programs;

• coordinating programs initiated by the curriculum division with other divisions of the state education department;

• disseminating information on state and federal funds related to social studies;

• helping to direct the allocation of funds for social studies;

• providing estimates of success in activities involving the social studies for state and federal governments;

• recommending to the state and federal governments necessary revisions to existing programs and identifying the need for new programs designed to improve social studies education.

Resource for Professional Organizations

In addition to membership in local, state and national organizations, state specialists are key members of professional organizations that focus on a special area of education. They join organizations that satisfy individual needs and respond to the concerns of state specialists in social studies. Notable among these organizations are the National Council for the Social Studies, the National Council for Geographic Education, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and various social science organizations. The state specialists’ involvement with professional organizations include:

• belonging to and actively participating in the work and meetings of state and national professional organizations;

• helping plan state professional conferences;

• serving on executive boards of social studies organizations;

• contributing to professional publications;

• working with joint councils on economic education;

• representing the views of state councils before the state department of education;

• maintaining communications with other state specialists throughout the nation;

• cooperating with state councils in publicizing and advancing curriculum developments in social studies;

• consulting with and advising leaders in state and national professional organizations; and

• identifying potential participants for service and work in professional organizations.

Consultant to Other Public and Private Agencies

The state specialists work cooperatively with various governmental and private agencies to strengthen social studies instruction, engaging in activities such as the following:

• coordinating educational activities with other state agencies;

• helping schools define and use services provided by other agencies;

• maintaining positive relationships with news media;

• consulting with authors and editors of publishing companies;

• working with local and state historical societies; and

• working with private and parochial schools.

Responsible Leader for Social Studies

Among school personnel throughout the state, state social studies specialists have a key leadership role. Building on their recognized competency and their success as classroom teachers, curriculum specialists, and state staff members, the specialists exert leadership for schools and teachers. The state specialists serve school personnel within the state as planners, as resource people, as advisors, as guides, as facilitators, as spokespeople, as representatives, as coordinators-in short, as leaders.

For more information, contact:

John LeFeber, On-Line Instruction/Curriculum Developer, National Council on Economic Education, 201 N. 8th Street, Suite 215, Lincoln, NE 68508. 402-438-6921 (phone), 402-438-6867 (fax), jlefeber@ncee.net (e-mail), www.cssss.org (Web site).

Al Frascella, Director of Communications and Government Relations, National Council for the Social Studies, 8555 – 16th Street, Suite 500, Silver Spring, MD 20910. 301-588-1800 x 113 (phone), 301-588-2049 (fax), afrascella@ncss.org (e-mail), www.socialstudies.org (Web site).