Reforming History in the Elementary and Secondary Schools

By Arthur Zilversmit

Americans have good reason to be concerned about how history is taught in elementary and secondary schools. Our political system depends on an educated electorate, and history, which uniquely provides the essential context to help people make political choices, is a crucial part of each citizen's education. Yet those of us who teach the discipline at colleges and universities know that many students who graduate from high school not only lack basic historical information, but also fail to