#12

Staff Report to the NCSS House of Delegates

November 2005

Susan Griffin, Executive Director and NCSS Department Managers

May brought significant administrative challenges to NCSS. After consultation with Arthur Ganta, departing finance director, and Derrick Strosnider, our auditor, we hired Bob Dodd as a financial consultant to take on the finance director’s responsibilities working 25-30 hours per week. Within three weeks it was quite clear that the arrangement was unworkable since Bob was unable to provide the hours to which he had agreed. Since we were preparing to end the fiscal year and begin the audit, Susan consulted with the NCSS officers and made the decision to hire a full-time finance director.

Tim Daly, Director of Administration, and Susan Griffin, Executive Director, interviewed seven candidates from a pool of about sixty applications. Three of those were called back for a second interview with the other department directors and we hired Paul Schwobel who began his tenure at NCSS on August 29, 2005. We are very pleased to have Paul and fortunate that Arthur has been available "on call" as his time allowed throughout this transition to assist Alex, the NCSS Finance Assistant. Paul, Arthur, and Tim, met with Derrick Strosnider on September 8 to review the status of audit preparations. Calibre, our auditing firm, began the audit mid-October and completed the fieldwork. Unfortunately, due to the lateness of initiating the aduit, (the fieldwork is usually completed in August), and this process arriving during the busiest time of the year for the finance department, we will not have an audit report for the November board meeting.

That was the bad news. The good news is that NCSS will end the year in the black with about $180,000 added to our assets. While this is a tentative figure, it is one arrived at after all of the critical reports have been reviewed by the auditor so we do not expect it to change significantly. As you recall, we ended last year $37,156 to the good.

Registration and exhibits for Kansas City are behind the Baltimore conference by 12% and 6% respectively as of November 4 and made 95% of the budgeted amount for conference advertising. Because of the increase in registration fee, however, we are only $16,000 off our budgeted registration goal of $542,245. With registrations continuing to arrive via Internet, and a reasonable on-site, we should be able to meet our budget for registration.

We are paying about $4,000 this year in medical coverage that was not included in the budget since we had planned hiring a consultant with no benefits for Finance Director position. This is a minor adjustment but one about which you should be aware.

Richard Palmer replaced Gene Cowan as Director of Creative Services and began working in that capacity on June 27th. Richard has jumped right into all of his responsibilities and the entire staff agrees that Richard was exactly the right choice. For those new to the board, that position has responsibility for all design and production for all NCSS publications, brochures, as well as the website. It is a huge and varied set of responsibilities and Richard is doing quite well navigating it all only four months into the job.

Nicole Richardson is an intern in the Communications Department and has been assisting under Al’s able guidance in the public relations side of things. Nicole has produced a number of excellent “back-to-school” press releases on a number of topics, including the upcoming conference and the latest edition of the Middle Level Learner.

Goal A. Education/Knowledge Goal

Publications

Publications The search committee chaired by Jesus Garcia that will select a successor to Sherry Field when she finishes her term as editor of Social Studies and the Young Learner in the summer of 2006 has now narrowed the field of candidates to two. They are Linda Bennett and the two-person professor-and-teacher team of Cynthia Sunal and Kay Ridgeway. In support of their applications, the candidates have served as guest editors of sample issues of Social Studies and the Young Learner that they have organized and edited in order to demonstrate their capabilities as editors. One of the two issues is on “Children’s Voices for Democracy” (Linda Bennett) and the other on collaboration, titled “Let’s Collaborate” (Cynthia Sunal and Kay Ridgeway). The search committee is reviewing the manuscripts and will interview the candidates in person at the annual conference on November 18.

The fall issues of our journals have covered the range of social studies topics, with a special emphasis on civics. The November-December issue of Social Education deals with “Teaching Civics with Primary Sources,” with Lee Ann Potter as guest editor, and shows how historical documents can be used in the civics classroom. The September issue had a special feature on teaching about the Constitution, while the October issue covered topics ranging from world health to the Armenian genocide. The fall issue of Middle Level Learning was devoted to the historic role of Philip Reid, an enslaved black man, in the construction of the Statue of Freedom, which stands at the top of the dome of the Capitol. A complimentary copy of the issue was sent to all members of Congress. The September/October issue of Social Studies and the Young Learner featured the same special theme as our annual meeting: Social Studies: The Heart of the Curriculum, while the November-December edition deals with teaching students basic skills in history, geography and civic involvement, and introducing them to global issues, such as the world’s water problem.

During the summer, an article that appeared in Social Education in September 2004 was honored by the Association of Educational Publishers (also known as EdPress) as one of the best four How-To-Do-It features to appear in an educational periodical in 2004. The article was “Teaching the Election Process in Ten Days,” by S. Kay Gandy.

Since the last Board Meeting, NCSS has published a new Bulletin titled Social Studies and the World: Teaching Global Perspectives, written by Merry M. Merryfield and Angene Wilson. The Bulletin recommends ways of developing the skills needed by students to learn about and understand world cultures, world history, global issues, current events, and relations between the United States and the rest of the world. The next planned Bulletin, edited by William W. Joyce and John F. Bratzel, will deal with teaching about Canada and Mexico.

Because of the large inventory of unsold PASS (Powerful and Authentic Social Studies) sets, we are seeking new ways of promoting the PASS videos and manuals. One of these is to expand NCSS professional development efforts, and develop a team of professional development specialists who will seek contracts from state education departments and school districts to conduct workshops that explain and promote PASS across the country. In June, a group of five leading NCSS members who are experienced professional development specialists (Joe Braun, Denee Mattioli, Susie Burroughs, David Hales and Joe Gotchy) held a three-day meeting at NCSS headquarters in Silver Spring to launch the professional development program, review PASS, and discuss ways in which to promote it. A proposal is currently being developed to offer pilot PASS workshops this year and expand them next year. The eventual aim is to establish NCSS as a provider of professional development training both through PASS and in other areas of social studies.

Professional Development

Other summer events of note are the NCSS summer workshops. We had two very successful workshops in July: Educating for Democracy: Building Civic Competence which was part of Harvard’s WideWorld series and coordinated by Mary McFarland, former NCSS president. Happily, we were able to repeat the very popular, Reading Strategies to Unlock the Social Studies, run by Peggy Altoff, NCSS president-elect, which took place at Goucher College.

Annual Conference

Registration

Registration was very strong in the beginning of registration and stayed steady due to on-line registration staying open. With the advance website technology, the meetings department did not have to manually process all of the registrations. This significantly reduced staff hours that in prior years created a backlog in the entire registration procedure. This also enabled us to keep online registration open for a longer period. This year approximately 40% of the registrations came in through the website, up slightly from 37% for the 2004 Conference. The attached report will reflect the registration number of 3,006, which was 12% behind the same time last year. It is estimated that $16,000 worth of revenue from on-site registration will allow us to make our goal of $546,000.

Tours

All of the tours were well received this year, despite the higher ticket prices. A Destination Management Company was used to help organize the tours. The DMC provides transportation, meals and a professional tour guide for each tour. The Thursday tour to the Nelson-Atkins Art Gallery had to be cancelled due to lack of participation.

Clinics

This year’s clinics were all kept on the program; we did not have to cancel any because of low registration numbers. The Program Planning Committee invited presenters from The City University of New York to Kansas City because their clinic “Teaching History as Mystery” was very popular. The Conference Department will recommend that the Washington, DC Planning Committee invite presenters from TCI to repeat their clinic “History Alive! Engaging the Multiple Intelligences of All Learners”. This clinic was so accepted it was advised to split the participants into two separate clinics, based on their grade level or subject.

Exhibits

Although we generally have many of the same companies exhibit, this year conference attendees will see many new companies. Exhibiting for the first time at NCSS are Barnes and Noble, the Consumer Aerosol Products Council, and the McCormick? Tribune Freedom Museum. There were nearly 300 booths sold to over 200 different companies, totaling $462, 275 at the time of this report. Additional, unbudgeted, income was gained by exhibitor registration ($6,000) and attendee mailing label sales ($4,000). We used MGI Lists as list broker to market and sell the attendee pre- and post- registration list to exhibitors.

Goal B. Advocacy/Visibility Goal

Relations with other Organizations

This June, NCSS members were invited back to the U.S. Department of State for an educators briefing on foreign policy. It had been at least ten years since the State Department had offered this very popular seminar. There was a change in personnel at the administrative level that affected communications between our office and Statel and although the logistics were a little shaky at the beginning, the program was a huge success. Social studies teachers were very appreciative of the information and the State Department was happy with the opportunity to reach key educators. It appears now that they will repeat the program next June.

Also in June, we had a very productive meeting with some key people at Junior Achievement. Neil Deason, Senior Director of Classroom-Based Programs Development, Edwin Bodensick, Vice President of Government Affairs, and Darrell Luzzo, Senior Vice President for Education met with Ana Post, Al Frascella and Susan Griffin, to update us on current programs at Junior Achievement and to explore ways we may be able to work together. A sponsor at last year’s annual meeting, Junior Achievement will be sponsoring the First Timer’s breakfast and pin, and have contributed a lesson-plan insert to the September issue of Social Education. It should be noted that Neil, an active member of the Colorado Council for the Social Studies, was selected as a candidate for the NCSS board in the “other professional” category.

Summer would not be complete without judging at the National History Day Competition in College Park, Maryland. Michael Simpson, Steve Lapham, Al Frascella, and Susan Griffin all participated as judges for the event. Michael attended the closing ceremony and received recognition of 25 year of partnership between NCSS and National History Day.

Susan Griffin and Ana Post have been working with a variety of organizations that are interested in partnering with NCSS in a proposal to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Civics and History Initiative for middle and high school studies. While this development stage requires time and considerable analysis and follow-up to evaluate and analyze each proposal, we are very aware that this investment of time may result in considerable benefit to NCSS and its members.

Susan and Ana also met twice with staff from National Geographic Society’s education foundation to discuss a major public relations campaign on the importance of geographic education. NGS is very interested in enlisting NCSS support for this effort once their board of directors, who will meet immediately prior to the NCSS executive committee meeting, approves it.

President-elect Peggy Altoff reported on the meeting we attended in Chicago on History Education and Public Policy. I was fascinated to revisit the context of the history/social studies fissure. Our presence there was absolutely critical since very little understanding of preK-12 realities exists without the voice of NCSS. Moving forward, I think we need to cultivate these relationships, identify mutual goals, and continue the dialogue. As part of that meeting, we received a presentation from Bruce Craig, executive director of the National Coalition for History, organized to

• "Provide leadership in history and archival-related advocacy"
• "Serve as the profession's "national voice" in the promotion of history"
• "Act as a clearinghouse of news and information of significance to the member organizations and to the profession."

Both the president-elect and the executive director thought that a NCH membership would be a good way to keep our membership informed about issues related to history education and advocate as needed.

The issue of advocacy is an ongoing concern, especially as the 2007 reauthorization of NCLB looms ahead of us. Prompted by repeated requests from our affiliate network and the NCSS leadership’s understanding of the current political climate related to social studies education, we are presenting a proposal from Washington Partners, a public relations and government relations company with considerable background in advocacy for education.

Communications

Since the May board meeting, the NCSS Communications Department has continued to engage in interactions with education and general news media. On the legislative side the department continues to work closely with the Committee for Education Funding (CEF) encouraging the passage of an FY-06 education-spending bill that would more fully fund the NCLB Act and increase overall education spending. In August, Nicola Richardson joined the NCSS Communications team as an unpaid intern. NCSS continues to maintain a proactive and effective NCSS public relations and legislative program.

Media Relations Activities

NCSS receives approximately eight-to-ten media queries a week concerning a variety of issues. The queries are from a mix of education trade publications and newsletters, small weekly and daily newspapers, and national news organizations such as FOX, CNN, and NPR. National newspaper interviewing NCSS officers and members during the reporting period included the New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, the Rocky Mountain News, Boston Globe, the Omaha World-Herald, and the Christian Science Monitor. The number of media queries received increased significantly over the summer in anticipation of Constitution Day and the return to school. The number of queries has not lessened. The most frequent topics include Constitution Day, NCLB and the social studies, teaching history, quality teachers and teacher training, assessments of American history and civics, and curriculum. Reporters contacting NCSS are given a brief overview of NCSS’s position and are then directed to one or more members of the NCSS “Experts List,” who attempt to answer the query in more detail and from the perspective of a classroom, teacher, teacher educator, or researcher.

NCSS has posted 12 news releases since May. Eight of these concerned the national conference (including naming winners of several NCSS awards), three concerning new officers, and one highlighting an NCSS article on Philip Reid and the Statue of Freedom. A number of releases concerning the conference and award recipients are in progress at the time this report was written.

On Friday, November 18th, the Public Relations Committee and the communications department staff will conduct a session titled “How to Be an Ambassador for Social Studies” that will provide basic training of the elements of public relations.

Government Relations

NCSS kept members informed about activities of the 109th Congress and the Department of Education though legislative alerts and postings on the NCSS web site.

In preparation for the 2005 NCSS Summer Leadership Institute, the department prepared background material and talking points for attendees. The department also assisted in the arrangement of Hill visit appointments for the participants and in arranging with Senator Paul Sarbanes' (D-Md.) office for a briefing room located in the one of the Senate office buildings for the traditional Thursday morning legislative briefing before the attendees visited the offices of their legislators.

At the legislative briefing, Rene Islas, Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Education, discussed the NCLB Act and teacher quality, and Sarah S. Pearson of the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF), discussed a report, titled Restoring the Balance between Academics and Civic Engagement in Public Schools, released by the AYPF and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum.

This year the legislative briefing focused on three issues. The passage of S-860, Senator Alexander’s bill to amend the National Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization Act to require state academic assessments of student achievement in United States history and civics; to urge the introduction of legislation amending the NCLB Act to include the social studies; and to urge the recognition of social studies as an academic core subject by the Department of Education.

As a part of our membership in CEF, NCSS also participate in a number of "Hill Team" visits. When issues related to education funding need a push, CEF activates its hill teams who take the message to the Hill. When making their visits, these teams also work in messages specific to their organizations. Since May, NCSS participated in a number of these visits. The two visits most rewarding to NCSS were with the staffs of Senator Sarbanes and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). Both staffs said that their senator was a strong supporter of education and would sign on to support S-860. Both were also concerned about the marginalization of social studies education, Senator Murkowski’s staffer stated that she would look into possibility of introducing legislation requiring the Department of Education to recognize social studies as an academic core subject. During the CEF annual gala, we meet with several education legislative assistants, the most fruitful being with Caroline Baird on the staff of Congressman Lee Terry (R-2nd-Neb.) who has a strong interest in civic education.

On September 29, NCSS delivered the September issues of Middle Level Learner and Social Education to the office of every member of the House and Senate with a copy of the NCSS news release titled “Would the Statue of Freedom be Standing Without the Help of a Slave?” and a cover letter from NCSS President Jeff Passe that described the role NCSS plays in supporting classroom teachers and developing civic virtue. In the letter Jeff said, “Social studies educators need your support. What can you do to help? We ask that you support the passage of The American History Achievement Act, S. 860, which was introduced in the Senate earlier this year by Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and cosponsored with Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.). We also ask that you consider legislation that would either include the social studies in NCLB, or provide incentives for public schools to put a greater emphasis on the teaching and assessment of the social studies in K-12.”

Training – On Thursday, September 16th the Government Relations Committee and the communications staff will conduct a full day clinic titled “Advocate Social Studies: Put Your Heart Into It!” will provide training on how to be an effective advocate at the local, state, and national levels.

Goal C. Membership Goal

Council Services

A highlight of the summer is always the Summer Leadership Institute. Fifty-two representatives of local, state, and regional affiliates gather in Washington, DC to visit with staff at their Congressional representatives’ office; share ideas and challenges, and receive presentations on building the capacity of their councils. Oh, and did I mention, have a great time?

This year’s agenda was a real benefit to all. We began with a briefing from Sarah Pearson, Program Director for the American Youth Policy Forum, and co-editor of Restoring the Balance Between Academics and Civic Engagement in Public Schools, a report sponsored jointly by AYPF and the Association fro Supervision and Curriculum Development. Sarah did a terrific job of preparing participants for their Hill visits with very practical tips for making the most of time in Congressional offices. A briefing by Renee Islas, Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Education, followed Sarah’s presentation. Mr. Islas fielded a number of tough questions on No Child Left Behind and provided our council leaders with good information about locating DOE funding levels state-by-state as well as some background on the regulations governing teacher quality.

The following morning began with a number of council updates and then a detailed “how-to-do-it” on conducting a legislative summit for state representatives and social studies educators from David Klemm, Michigan Council for the Social Studies. In addition to providing a terrific session, David provided all councils with a disc that included the entire framework and timeline for the summit as well.

President Jeff Passe has had a LOT of experience as an active state council member, as well as a very vibrant tenure on the NCSS membership committee, so he knows about membership. Jeff shared his tips for recruiting members and cultivating new leadership by careful, deliberate, and personal recruiting combined with thoughtful mentoring. Since new leadership training is an issue for local, state, and national professional organizations, this was extremely useful.

Former awards committee chairs Nan Jones and Doc Holliday provided pointers on how to get state award winners in line for NCSS awards. More council updates were followed by Terry Kuseske’s lively presentation on The American Promise program, including the soon-to-be-released Elementary TAP. We ended the day with an update from two members of the Governance Transition Team—Jeff Passe and Steve Goldberg—who explained the rationale behind the proposed new board configuration. The day ended with a delightful dinner hosted by Randy Rice, Farmer’s Insurance, where we all enjoyed great food and fellowship.

No SLI is complete without a session on developing HOD Resolutions so Jeff and Doc, the Resolutions Committee Chair, outlined the resolution development process and rationale and then let the group go!

It is appropriate to note that Jeff has provided considerable leadership in reinvigorating the board affiliate connections. In the absence of a Council Services person, this is extremely important as it acknowledges the vital role of the affiliate network.

Membership and Membership Marketing

Membership as a whole is stable. Regular individual membership continues to increase, while other categories remain constant. This increase is to due online membership, Marketing efforts, and conference attendees that register as non-member/with membership.

Between January and October 2005, we received a total of 3,330 memberships through the web site: 2,769 are new members, and 561 are renewals. In addition, 624 members were received through conference registration and another 141 members were received through state and local council efforts.

---++++Marketing In order to make the most of our marketing dollars, we decided this year to do one major acquisition mailing instead of two since last year’s summer mailing did considerably better than the fall mailing. In the July 2005 mailing, we mailed to the best lists from last summer’s mailing, plus tested successful lists from the fall mailings and a few new lists. Through October 31, our summer mailing has generated 709 new members.

Our overall results for this year are not great, and this may be a result of the recent major disasters both in this country and around the world. Other organizations--publishers , business to business, and donor--mailings are experiencing the same problems across the board. We will continue to investigate reasons for the summer’s lower response rate. In addition, we will continue to mail to the “best of the best” lists and continue to test conservatively.

The incentive for prospects to join NCSS included a premium: three years of the popular series Teaching with Documents on an easy-to use CD, and the popular 2005 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People.

Summer Rollout Comparisons-’01,’02,’03,’04,and’05
Summer ’01 mailing	Rollout #1	After 3.6 months	Response Rate .54%	Net loss ($2,587)
Summer ’02 mailing	Rollout #4	After 3.7 months	Response Rate .34%	Net loss ($24,006)
Summer ’03 mailing	Rollout #6	After 3.8 months	Response Rate .49%	Net loss ($4,370)
Summer ’04 mailing	Rollout #8	After 3.9 months	Response Rate .58%	Net profit $4,064
Summer ’05 mailing	Rollout10	After 3.9 months	Response Rate .34 %	Net loss ($28,070)

Goal D. Citizenry Goal and Goal E. Social Studies Excellence Goal

Civic Mission of Schools

NCSS continues it work with the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools and the Congressional Conference on Civic Education. The CMS Campaign recently completed a vigorous and critical evaluation sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Knight Foundation. While acknowledging great accomplishments, the evaluation noted that fundraising is significantly behind schedule. Carnegie and Knight have provided a fundraising consultant to assist staff at the Council for Excellence in Government with this important element of the program.

Jeff Passe will be on a newly formed “state committee” for the Campaign. Jeff will be encouraging NCSS affiliates to work with the CMS initiative when there is one in their state as well as networking with other national organization leaders. Also joining the CMS Campaign’s advisory board is Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Justice O’Connor visited the Steering Committee Meeting on Friday October 21st and questioned us about our organizations and what we see as the challenges facing civic learning. She showed a lot of heartfelt enthusiasm for her new position.

A number of NCSS affiliate council leaders who are also active with CCE activities in their states, gathered in Washington, DC September 24-26th for the Third Congressional Conference. Delegations reported on their various activities related to state policy and support for civic education. Jeff was also present throughout the conference and will be strengthening affiliate connection to that network as well—in some states, it is the same network. This Alliance for Representative Democracy and the Civic Mission of Schools provide much needed momentum for civic learning around the country.

NCATE

NCSS NCATE representatives Alberta Dougan, Bob Toepper, and Mark Myers met with Susan when they were in town for NCATE business immediately following the NCSS executive committee meeting. We are all attempting to navigate the new, if not improved, electronic review process and adapt the NCSS reviewer training accordingly. There are many miles to go before that system is truly operational. At the NCATE all boards meeting on October 20, a number of us reminded Art Wise that although organizations were told the new process would save us all time and resources, that has yet to happen. A second computer contractor has thrown in the towel on creating the remarkable cutting-edge review system we have been promised. Consequently, we all must hobble along with an “OK” system cobbled together by NCATE technology staff. A number of Specialty Area Organization (SPA’s) have lost a majority of reviewers due to the new system, primarily for two reasons: the current software is not user friendly and reviewer miss the collegiality of the face-to-face meetings. NCATE acknowledges the challenges but encouraged us all to keep our eyes on the prize that may be in the future: a turnkey program review system that is embraced by reviewers and institutions.

NCATE would also like SPA’s to consider their benchmarking project. Gayle Thieman will be meeting with her ad hoc committee on November 17 to discuss this issue. There will also be a meeting of an ad hoc committee from CUFA, appointed by Jeff, to begin a conversation about NCSS/NCATE teacher preparation standards.

Standards for Middle and High School Literacy Coaches

For over a year, a group of educators from International Reading Association (IRA), National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), National Council of Teachers of Math (NCTM) and National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) have been working on Literacy Coach Standards for middle school and high school. Peggy Altoff NCSS president elect, Chris Pratt-Consoletti, former NCSS board member, and Susan Griffin, executive director represented NCSS on the working group. On November 4th, the Standards for Middle and High School Literacy Coaches were released and appear online at www.reading.org as well as on each of the participant organization’s web sites. The document recognizes that there are different literacy strategies required to unlock the each content area. The Carnegie Corporation of New York funded the project.

Speical Projects Updates

Endorsement and Collaboration Requests The following are the five proposals that have been received requesting NCSS endorsement or collaboration. A staff analysis and materials received for each are included with the board meeting materials.

The American Psychological Association (APA)

• Request: Endorsement of the APA National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula

Center for Educational Policy Research on behalf of College Board

* Request: Formal Advisor – Approval of NCSS participation (through a Formal Advisor) in a national study being undertaken by the Center for Educational Policy Research on behalf of the College Board that seeks to inform the redesign of AP [high school level] courses so that they focus on important content, attitudes, and skills associated with success in corresponding college courses.

The Center on Congress at Indiana University

• Request: Formal Advisor – Approval of NCSS participation (through a formal advisor) in the process of developing the Center on Congress Adventures of the American Mind (CoCAAM) project -- toward the goal of NCSS endorsement of the project.

Empower Peace

• Request: Information/Materials Dissemination -- Dissemination of information to NCSS membership about Empower Peace current and future cultural exchanges.

Youth Service America

* Request: Information/Materials Dissemination; Endorsement -- To sign on as a national partner in support of National and Global Youth Service Day.

The Endorsements and Special Projects Committee is scheduled to make a recommendation on NCSS endorsement or collaboration to the board of directors at their November 16 meeting in Kansas City.

Ongoing Projects/Collaborations

CPB American History and Civics Initiative - As you may recall back in June the NCSS board of directors was asked to provide their guidance and feedback to staff on NCSS participating in the CPB American History and Civics Initiative grants call for proposals. The board’s vote indicated that that staff could begin working with a variety of organizations on planning, developing, and implementing project activities that would benefit NCSS members, associated groups, and affiliate councils through the dissemination of materials created in the project or by providing meaningful NCSS member participation in a variety of areas.

Becoming a “key partner” involves submitting a letter of intent to collaborate showing support for the project, proposing ways in which NCSS is interested in collaborating, etc. NCSS looked at how well each project might be able benefit NCSS members and NCSS as a whole, at whether the time commitments that would be required of NCSS staff, and at how well each project proposal may match the criteria provided by CPB. NCSS provided the following organizations seeking NCSS collaboration as a “key partner” a letter of support or commitment.

• VOX POP -- Fascinating Learning Factory
• CPB American History and Civics Initiative -- Thirteen/WNET
• Rivers Through Time -- Center for Global Environmental Education
• The.News -- MacNeil/Lehrer Productions
• Presidential Timeline Transmedia Project -- The University of Texas at Austin

The History Channel / Save Our History Program

The SOH Teacher’s Handbook is in the final stages of production. Due to delays in production THC will now be handling the mailing of these materials. The History Channel and Civic Entertainment Group have been provided with an agreement form that they must sign which indicates that:

• Any NCSS or affiliate council contact information provided in the lists THC/CEG has received will not be used in any other manner or under any other circumstances than the agreed to mailing;
• All lists provided are for a one-time use only for the purpose of mailing the new SOH Teacher’s Guide;
• If the need arises to use the addresses for other purposes, THC / Civic Entertainment Group will need to contact NCSS immediately for approval – a period of 15 business days may be needed to provide approval.
• Prior to the mailing taking place NCSS will receive a full sample of what will be mailed to the addresses on the lists provided (envelope, handbook, letter, etc.). This is the standard procedure that we follow prior to releasing mailing lists.
• NCSS will receive a packet through this mailing to keep in its records.

Civitas Latin America and Civitas Africa

NCSS collaborates with the Center for Civic Education on the Civitas Latin America and on the Civitas Africa initiatives since 2002 and 2003 respectively. This year, the Civitas Africa group will be holding its Regional Director’s meeting in Kansas City on Wednesday, November 16. The 15 plus meeting participants will also be registering for the NCSS Conference and attending clinics and sessions. As part of its Civitas Latin America activities, the Center has also invited 6 delegates from Latin America with an interest in social studies and civic education to attend the NCSS conference. These delegates will also be registering and attending NCSS clinics and sessions.

Supreme Court

Staff has been in touch with project proponent Tim Hallinan to discuss details regarding time commitment of liaisons that would review and guide the content of the proposed website; of a formal advisor representative to the project’s Advisory Council; and other details. Staff has also been in touch with a board member that had expressed great interest in this subject area to discuss possible involvement. Due to the importance of the advisory committee appointment, staff feels it would be imperative that this person not only possess the expertise required by the project, but also be knowledgeable of NCSS internal policies and procedures, cognizant of staff and financial resource availability, etc. Additional candidates that have responded to the NCSS call for experts are being contacted to provide more detail on how their backgrounds and experiences fit the project’s requirements for the advisory board position, the liaison-reviewer position, and for the writing/reviewing of web content opportunity.

Jamestown 2007

Staff attended an Education Partners Meeting on Tuesday, September 6. Representatives from the following organizations were present: Historic Jamestowne, Jamestown Settlement, Chief Stephen Adkins from the Chickahomini Tribe, University of Virginia Center for Politics, National Education Association, Virginia Education Association, Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, Parent Teacher Association of Virginia, National Park Service, Prosody Creative Services and the Jamestown 2007 Steering Committee were present. The discussion focused on the logistics for the National Teach-In, other education initiatives taking place in connection to the celebration and/or teach-in, marketing and publicity.

Council on Standards for International Education Travel (CSIET)

NCSS participated in attended a meeting at CSIET in August which discussed promoting awareness of other cultures, languages, issues, etc. in the k-12 school environment and the challenges or difficulties involved.. Not surprisingly, the common thread for all present was that their subject area is being excluded more and more from the curriculum (NCLB was often cited as the reason why).

CSIET is calling for all of these organizations to find their common ground and organize into a cohesive voice to advocate for what he calls "internationalizing the K-12 school environment" and not being excluded from the curriculum.

Other organizations that participated in the meeting included the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), American Forum on Global Education, Washington International School, NAIS Global Education Initiative, Sister Cities International, Youth Programs Division of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL), NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

The American Promise

Since July 1, 2005, a total of 9 workshops have been presented: 1 at the NCSS Summer Leadership Institute in Washington D.C, 1 in Illinois, 1 in Washington, 2 in Michigan, 1 in Arizona, 1 in Texas, one in Oregon and 1 in New Mexico. One workshop will be presented in November at the NCSS annual conference in Kansas City, Missouri. Five more workshops are scheduled to be presented in the spring of 2006 in the following states/regions: California, North Carolina, Colorado, Minnesota, NERC and the Great Lakes social studies conferences.

Randy Rice, The American Promise Executive Director, was in Washington D.C in August and had a brief meeting with Ana Post , Ella McDowell and Andy Magwizi (TAP program Assistant) to discuss plans for a workshop for 120 invited elementary teachers and a reception to celebrate the launch of the TAP Elementary Guide.

In Kansas City, Terry Kuseske and Carol Warren will present a two-hour workshop, invitation only, especially designed to introduce the TAP Elementary Teaching Guide to teachers. Half of the elementary teachers will be invited by Farmers Agents in the Kansas City area to attend the workshop and the other half by will be invited by NCSS from members already registered for the conference. Farmers will cover the conference registration for the teachers they invite (approximately 60). Following the workshop, Farmers will also be hosting a reception to celebrate the launching of the new guide. You should be receiving a formal invite in the mail or via e-mail shortly.

On a monthly basis, we have forwarded information on availability of free The American Promise teaching kits and ordering information to affiliate council newsletters and websites. A number of newsletters have included these announcements in their publications. The announcement directs anyone who wishes to order a teaching kit to www.americanpromise.com.

Recognition Programs

In an effort to increase awareness about NCSS Award and Grant Programs among affiliates, particularly about the Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year Award and the Social Studies Programs of Excellence Award programs, special presentations were held and information was disseminated at the NCSS Summer Leadership Institute in July 2005. At this time we have published in the NCSS newsletter, The Social Studies Professional, the call for nominations and applications for the 2006 awards and grants. It is hoped that by disseminating the call for applications and nominations early that teachers and other social studies professionals wishing to participate will be able to have more time to prepare their application/nomination materials.

This year there will be two special receptions to honor NCSS award and grant winners:

• The Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year Awards Reception sponsored by Scholastic, Inc. on Friday, November 18, Kansas City Downtown Marriott, Truman B, starting at 6:30 p.m.; and
• The NCSS Awards Reception, sponsored by USA Today on Saturday, November 19, Kansas City Downtown Marriott, Truman B, starting at 6:30 p.m.

If your schedule allows it, we would love to see you at either or both events.

The following are this year’s NCSS Award and Grant winners. Most will be presenting a session during the conference. Please check pages 22-24 of your conference program for a complete description of the sessions and any updates. You and your colleagues are invited to attend.

Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year Elementary Level

Iris Aschenbrand, Hunt Meadows Elementary School, Easly, South Carolina Session: It’s in the Box. Saturday, November 19, 12:30 – 1:30 pm, Kansas City Convention Center, Room 2209

Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year - Middle Level

Nancy Muller, Saint Peter School, Kirkwood, Missouri Session: Primary Sources and Community Resources: The Heart of the Lesson. Saturday, November 19, 4:15-5:15 pm, Kansas City Convention Center, Room 4203B

Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year - Secondary Level (2 winners)

Karen Cook, Norwich Free Academy, Norwich, Connecticut Session: Inquiry Everyday: Preparing students for success in an inquiry-based classroom. Friday, November 18, 3:00-4:00 pm, Kansas City Convention Center, Room 2202

Marc Turner, Blythewood High School, Blythewood, South Carolina Session: Lost in Translation: Student and Teacher Experiences with Historical Thinking Friday, November 18, 1:45-2:45 pm, Kansas City Convention Center, Room 1204B

Outstanding Service Award

Theron Trimble, Collier County School Board, Naples, Florida A life long educator, Dr. Trimble taught social studies for 15 years and later moved to curriculum development and supervision. He is currently the Executive Director of Florida Council for the Social Studies and serves on the Collier County District School Board. Dr. Tribe has served on the NCSS Assessment Committee and the House of Delegates, and the Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors.

2005 Grant for the Enhancement of Geographic Literacy

Gale Olp Ekiss, The Arizona Geographic Alliance, Tempe, Arizona Geography North and South: Geo Math Workshops in Arizona. This grant recipient will present on the implementation of her project at the 2006 NCSS Annual Conference.

2005 Christa McAuliffe Reach for the Stars Award

Charlene Postell, Hillcrest Elementary School, Emporia, KS Hillcrest Historical Archive Project This award recipient will present on the implementation of her project at the 2006 NCSS Annual Conference.

2004 Christa McAuliffe Reach for the Stars Award (2 presentation sessions)

Liz Morrison, Parkway South High School, Manchester, Missouri Session: The National Civilian Conservation Corps Museum: “We Can Take It!” Taking the Spirit of the CCC to Students Across America. Saturday, November 19, 9:15a-10:15am, Kansas City Convention Center, 4202B

Theresa Adamczak and Debra Every, Washington High School, Matthews, North Carolina Session: I am They: “Global Citizenship through International Studies” Friday, November 18, 9:15a-10:15am, Kansas City Convention Center, 2215A

2004 FASSE-CUFA Social Studies Inquiry Grant

Rahima Wade, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa Session: Can We Get There From Here? Teaching for Social Justice in a Standards-Based Society Friday, November 18 4:15-5:15pm, Kansas City Convention Center, 4202A

Exemplary Research in Social Studies Award

Paulette Dillworth, Indiana University, Bloomington Indiana Multicultural Citizenship Education: Case studies from Social Studies Classrooms Spring 04, Theory and Research in Social Education,Vol.32 , number 2, PP.153-186 Session: Multicultural Citizenship Education: “Case Studies from Social Studies Classes” Saturday, November 19, 3:00-4:00 pm, Kansas City Convention Center, 4204 A

2005 Larry Metcalf Exemplary Dissertation

Scott Dewitt, University at Buffalo, State University of New York Computer use in high school social studies classrooms: A comparitive case study within social class context Session: “Computer use in High School Social Studies Classrooms” Friday, November 18, 3:00-4:00 p.m., Kansas City Convention Center, 2206

Jean Dresden Grambs Distinguished Career Research in Social Studies

Carol L. Hahn, Educational Studies, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia Session: “Researching Social Studies: Insights and Questions” Friday, November 18, 9:15 – 10:15 a.m., Kansas City Convention Center, 4300 F

Award for Global Understanding given in honor of James M. Becker

Steven Goldberg, The Metropolitan Learning Center Inter district Magnet School for Global and International Studies, Bloomfield, Connecticut Session: Approaches to Global Understanding Saturday, November 19, 3:00-4:00 pm, Kansas City Convention Center, 4203B

Social Studies Program of Excellence

Alan Singer Hempstead, New York; Mary Carter Hempstead, New York; April Frances Uniondale, New York; and Kerry Creegan Massapequa, New York. Session: New York and Slavery: Complicity and Resistance. Friday, November 18, 3:00-4:00 pm, Kansas City Convention Center, 4204 B

CiviConnections: Constructing the Past, Creating the Future Grant

Session: CiviConnections: Linking Historical Inquiry and Service Learning Friday, November 18 12:30p-1:30p, Kansas City Convention Center, 1204B

Session: CiviConnections Grant Writing Information Friday, November 18 1:45p-2:45p, Kansas City Convention Center, 2211

Spirit of America Award

*Jim Lehrer, Wichita, Kansas * This year NCSS has named Jim Lehrer from The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, as the NCSS Spirit of America Speaker. The Spirit of America Speaker Series, made possible for by Social Studies Schools Service, features individuals who have made a significant contribution to American democracy. As an advocate for impartial news reporting, providing fair and balanced facts, insights, and analysis which assist the public in drawing their own conclusions about current events, Jim Lehrer exemplifies this sprit. NCSS will be providing recognition to Jim Lehrer during his keynote address.

Carter G. Woodson Book Awards and Honor Books

Elementary Level Book Award

Elementary Level Book Award

• Jim Thorpe’s Bright Path
  Joseph Bruchac
  Illustrated by S.D. Nelson
  Lee & Low Books, New York, NY

Elementary Level Honor Book

• Alec’s Primer
  Mildred Pitts Walter
  Illustrated by Larry Johnson
  The Vermont Folklife Center, Middlebury, VT

Middle Level Book Award

The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights
Russell Freedman
Clarion Books, New York, NY

Middle Level Honor Book

The Power of one: Daisy Bates and the Little Rock Nine
Judith Bloom Fradin and Dennis Brindell Fradin
Clarion Books, New York, NY

Secondary Level Award Book

• The Civil Rights Act of 1964
  Edited by Robert H. Mayer
  reenhaven Press, New York, NY

Secondary Level Honor Book

• Alvin Ailey: Celebrating African-American Culture in Dance
  Bárbara C. Cruz
  Enslow Publishers, Berkeley Heights, NJ

There will be a Carter G. Woodson Book Award-Winning Author Panel Discussion onFriday, November 18, 3-4 pm, Convention Center Room 2207. Award winning authors will also sign books at the NCSS Book Store from 4:15-4:45pm.

NCSS will also present "Writing Proposals for NCSS Grants: Spotlight on the Grant for the Enhancement of Geographic Literacy and the FASSE Christa McAuliffe Reach for the Stars Award" Friday, November 18 12:30p-1:30p, in Convention Center room 1204B.