Florida is now the gold standard for social studies education

When it comes to determining exactly what public schools are required to teach and students must learn in any given class, look no further than the Board of Education state standards.

In a perfect world, every student would pass every class from kindergarten through senior year having acquired the skills, knowledge, and analytical abilities that are precisely laid out in state or district standards. Alas, we do not live in a perfect world, and the public school system is far from perfect.

First, not all state standards are created equal. A few are comprehensive with explicit language; others minimize certain areas of study and do not dive into detail as to exactly what must be “mastered” by students.

Second, even if the state standards are nearly flawless, in most cases there is no test to measure whether students have learned the required material and developed the requisite critical thinking skills.

Regarding the first problem, 39 states have generally adopted the National Council for the Social Studies’ College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for Social Studies State Standards. This framework aligns with “academic programs to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies” and has an entire dimension devoted to “Taking Informed Action.”

The National Association of Scholars says of this framework that it “substitutes process for content, yokes social studies instruction to the failed Common Core standards, and politicizes social studies curricula based on those standards.”

It warns further that “Civics education reformers must be particularly alarmed, however, because the framework subordinates all of social studies instruction to action civics (also known as ‘civic engagement’ or ‘protest civics’), which replaces civics education with vocational training for left-wing community organizing.”

As a former high school social studies teacher who is more than familiar with the framework, I concur with this assessment.

At the other end of the spectrum, a few states, including Florida, have refused to adopt the College, Career, and Civic Life Framework.

And in my opinion, Florida’s State Academic Standards Social Studies 2025 is the gold standard. It emphasizes American history, African American history, civics and government, geography and economics. In fourth grade, students are introduced to financial literacy. In fifth grade, they begin to learn about the Holocaust. In sixth grade, world history and the history of communism enter the curriculum. Then, in high school, students contemplate the humanities, psychology, and sociology.

Based on the scaffolding model, Florida introduces concepts such as financial literacy in middle school, so that students can gain a thorough understanding by their early teens.

Concerning civics education, a hot-button issue lately, Florida has four priorities. The first is that students study primary source documents to understand the philosophical underpinnings of the American republic and the root cause of American exceptionalism. Second, students are to compare the success of the U.S. and the success or failure of other nations’ governing philosophies to evaluate their past, present and likely future effects.

The third priority is for students to develop a sense of civic pride and participate regularly in all levels of government. Fourth, students are to reflect upon U.S. civic history, so that they understand their rights and responsibilities as citizens, including the process of advocating properly with government officials.

To me, this is exactly what civics education ought to be and precisely what Thomas Jefferson had in mind when he envisioned an American public education system that would not only create an informed citizenry, but also a virtuous people who would uphold the American republic for generations.

As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday this summer, I hope more states consider revising their state social studies standards so that the American republic can flourish for at least another 250 years.

Chris Talgo is editorial director at The Heartland Institute.