Statue of Liberty silhouetted against the skyline

History Matters Campaign

It’s time to start talking about elementary history instruction. Our new History Matters Campaign provides us with the opportunity to demonstrate how historical content knowledge is uniquely positioned to support literacy.

 

Teacher listens to a group of students
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Research shows that students’ reading ability improves when they get added time for social studies—more so than when schools extend time for English language arts. Yet social studies is virtually ignored in most elementary schools.

The critical role of content knowledge in reading comprehension is well established. High-quality ELA curricula have introduced educators to the benefits of instruction rooted in content-rich texts and based on the science of reading. What if we baked evidence-based instructional practices that borrow from all we know about strong literacy instruction into coherent history and civics curricula?

As a field, we need to determine what constitutes high-quality instructional materials and aligned curriculum-based professional learning for history. We also need to find time in the already-full elementary school day to teach this important discipline.

As always, our motto is to “find the good and praise it.” Look for us to do this in the coming months through school visits, podcasts, social media sharing, and informational webinars.

Join the conversation and help us lift up excellent social studies instruction, because #HistoryMatters.

Guest Article
EdWeek Opinion: This State Is Achieving Impressive Reading Gains. Why?
The high-quality curriculum that sets teachers up for success
- Rick Hess, Matthew Levey

05/22/2025

Press Coverage
New York Times: Has America Given Up on Children’s Learning?
Politicians used to care how much students learn. Now, to find a defense of educational excellence, we have to look beyond politics.

05/10/2025

Bayou Bridges, Core Knowledge/Amplify (K-5), Louisiana Guidebooks (3-8)

Ouachita Parish Schools

West Monroe, LA

April 16, 2025 - April 17, 2025
Blog
Meet Lady Liberty: An Historic Icon for America, and for Us
Unveiling the History Matters Campaign logo.
- Matthew Levey

03/18/2025

Guest Article
Ed Post: Teaching History Without Stories? Your Curriculum May Need a Serious Glow Up.
A comprehensive, content-rich history curriculum offers a superior approach.

01/23/2025

Guest Article
Forham Flypaper: The case for storytelling in the history curriculum
A comprehensive, content-rich history curriculum offers a superior approach.

01/30/2025

Blog
The Case for Storytelling in History Curriculum
Stories stick in our mind. History is full of great ones. High-quality curriculum should include them.
- Matthew Levey

01/22/2025

Blog
Can Social Studies Benefit from Lessons Learned in ELA?
A retrospective on visiting ELA classrooms over the last seven years.
- Barbara Davidson

01/08/2025

Blog
A History Lesson for the Future of Social Studies, Courtesy of the High-Quality Curriculum Movement
It’s time to get serious about social studies.
- Barbara Davidson and Kristen McQuillan

11/12/2024