The Rise and Fall of Civic Education

In The Rise and Fall of Civic Education: The Battle for Social Studies in a Shifting Historical Landscape, Michael Learn takes the reader through the crazy quilt that is the field of social studies education. Focusing on the development--and redevelopment--of curriculum, Learn depicts a school subject in search of a center. That search would be hard enough in a vacuum; that it takes place within a revolving door of cultural norms suggests that it will not end anytime soon.

In his new book, Michael Learn powerfully demonstrates that the current debates over the teaching of social studies have deep roots. It describes a field in crisis, delving into its contested and dynamic history. Ideal for educators, historians, parents, policymakers, and anyone interested in the intersection of education and society, The Rise and Fall of Civic Education: The Battle for Social Studies in a Shifting Historical Landscape offers a thorough and thought-provoking examination of how debates over the social studies curriculum reflect profound fissures in American society and conceptions of citizenship.

It is nice to have all this history of social studies and the state of the field in one place. There is great value for newcomers in understanding the field and may foster an appreciation for where it has fallen short and bolster their imagination for ways forward that offer greater attention to more recent scholarship around issues of equity, critical theories, post-human theories, arts based, and controversy and issue based work. This work may inspire those to guide instruction and shape curriculum.