The search for a unified social studies curriculum: does history really repeat itself?

A bulwark of democracy is an informed electorate. Recently, disturbing evidence has been presented indicating that young Americans lack the knowledge of democratic principles and history required by our democracy. One explanation for this complex problem concerns the nature of the social studies instruction that our children are receiving. In this article, common practices in social studies instruction are described and critiqued, and an alternative, more conceptually based model of history instruction that is of potential benefit to students with learning disabilities is proposed.