Welcome to the VCSSSCE web page. We are an organization of Social Studies Specialists and College Educators from all regions of Virginia. One of our goals is to help one another provide the best, most relevant social studies resources and information for classroom teachers throughout the Commonwealth. In order to help the classroom teachers, we are providing this website as an opportunity to share information among the membership and, hopefully, encourage other social studies specialists and College educators to join us. Resources on this website will directly correlate to the Virginia Standards of Learning and the 2001 Curriculum Framework. Questions relating to membership can be directly sent to the current President of the VCSSSCE.

Virginia Consortium of Social Studies Specialists and College Educators
Calls for Inclusion of its Subject in No Child Left Behind Legislation
Summary Statement
Richmond, Virginia
2006

History, geography, civics, economics, sociology, psychology and anthropology are rigorous core academic subjects that challenge students to think critically and become informed, responsible, and reasoned citizens of a democratic society and an interdependent world.  Without explicit instruction in these core subjects, our society is neglecting skills and content that teach students about how they have been shaped by their past and their social environment, and how their history and society will impact their future.

Federal laws that outline the educational agenda for the United States in the No Child Left Behind legislation exclude the Social Studies. The implications of this exclusion mean that in many communities, “Social Studies” has become a discipline that is not taught and not funded.

Virginia is one state which continues to explicitly include Social Studies in its mandated curriculum for all grades.  The VCSSSCE commends the Virginia State Board of Education for recognizing the importance of knowledge about our country, our world, our society, and our economy. We applaud Virginia’s insistence that this knowledge be verified and measured.

The Virginia Consortium of Social Studies Specialists and College Educators recommends that

  1. Virginia legislators continue to support Social Studies education through the Virginia code.
  2. Virginia legislators endorse legislation that asks the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to phase into the NCLB law the inclusion of Social Studies as a core discipline to be measured and verified by school districts throughout the U.S.
  3. Virginia school boards and PTAs petition state legislators to complete item #2.
  4. Virginia Social Studies teachers send letters to their representatives in Congress and the state legislature to complete item #2.

Click here to read the detailed explanation and statement of the position