Social studies has spent too long in the shadows

“I don’t have a say in government. I’m not even old enough to vote,” Jamal, a straight-A high school senior, told me during a unit on civic engagement. “Social studies is boring. I’ll never use it in the real world.” Like many teens, Jamal didn’t understand the value of social studies education.

Yet, as I taught about the ways citizens can affect change in the government, I began to see Jamal connect the dots. It had never occurred to him that something as small as volunteering at the animal shelter or picking up trash on the roadside was civic engagement. He, like many students I teach, believed that civic engagement comes only through actions like running for or holding office. In Jamal’s final paper, he wrote of his plans for civic engagement: respecting laws, staying informed, writing to legislators, volunteering, and, of course, registering to vote at 18. He had finally realized that he was already a part of the “real world” and his voice already mattered. This is exactly why social studies is essential.

A 2023 national study from RAND found that social studies gets roughly three hours of instructional time in grades K-5, compared to nine hours of English instruction and seven hours of math. In Arkansas, social studies remains a part of the mandatory state curriculum framework for grades K-12; however, the content area is not prioritized even though it improves literacy by building essential background knowledge, expanding academic vocabulary, and improving reading comprehension through the analysis of complex, informational texts. If our state is serious about improving literacy, social studies must be treated as an integral part of a student’s academic development—not an afterthought.

First, Arkansas teachers must have access to high-quality instructional materials: digital libraries of Arkansas standards-based resources accessible to every social studies teacher, organized by grade, discipline, and/or key skills; inquiry-based lessons, visuals, videos, primary and secondary sources;  and texts for students of all reading levels so learners can build on their critical thinking skills, rather than simply memorizing dates and facts. Jamal would have benefited from a detailed breakdown of complex texts, especially foundational ones like Common Sense by Thomas Paine and Federalist 51 by Alexander Hamilton.

When students aren’t intimidated by the words they are reading, they’re able to grasp the fundamental concepts of democracy and civic virtue.

Second, teachers need social studies-specific professional learning. Content training opportunities exist, but training that emphasizes both literacy and social studies is scarce. For example, Arkansas’ mandated evidence-based reading training focuses on literacy instruction through phonics, comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency, but doesn’t provide meaningful insight into how it can be incorporated into social studies disciplines. Providing examples, methods, and sample activities that incorporate these skills would provide a more consistent experience for students in every classroom. It would also allow social studies teachers like me to help students like Jamal strengthen their performance across all subjects and connect historical texts to their real lives.

Finally, the number of social studies credit requirements needed for graduation should be increased to four credits instead of three. This could be achieved by requiring year-long economics and civics classes rather than one semester. At a time when AI technology may outpace critical thinking, strengthening digital literacy, analyzing primary and secondary sources, and learning to evaluate perspectives align with English language arts standards and provide students even more opportunities to show indicators of college and career readiness. We expect new graduates to understand financial literacy, civil discourse, and their rights as citizens, but because state tests focus primarily on math and reading, social studies is sidelined. Expanding social studies classes gives students like Jamal the practical skills they need to navigate adulthood, while simultaneously boosting their literacy.

Since graduating, Jamal attended college and maintained a strong GPA while serving as a campus leader. He graduated with honors. I couldn’t be happier that he became a social studies teacher, passing on these skills he learned in social studies classes across his education to the next generation. If we prioritize social studies education—and teaching students how systems work and how to make them better—we enable the next generation to make its mark on the world.

Editor’s note: Ashley Fox-Kelley is a 2025–2026 Teach Plus Arkansas Policy Fellow and psychology and sociology teacher in high schools across Arkansas through Virtual Arkansas. The opinions expressed are those of the author.