What to look for in a history program

The best programs are built on this conviction: the study of history should be about learning hard data - dates, names, events - especially in the pre-high school years. After that students can begin to master "critical thinking" and other higher-order historical analyses. To try to do that before students have mastered the figures, years and events of history is a recipe for failure. After all, how can a student be expected to analyze, say, the causes of the Civil War, if he thinks it took place in the 1950s, involved Mexico and the United States, and featured the exploits of "Old Hickory"?

CER's History "Best Bets"

Hillsdale Academy

Description: The Hillsdale curriculum is fact and knowledge intensive. However, the most important thing about the Hillsdale model is that it does not use textbooks, which in recent decades have become notable mainly for their lack of depth and tendency to reshape history. In fact, a recent analysis of social studies textbooks being considered by Texas determined that all the books "have bleached history from the pages."

Publisher: Hillsdale has no history curriculum for sale. Instead it provides its entire curriculum, complete with an exhaustive reading list for each grade, on its web site.

Grades: K-8

Web Site: www.hillsdale.edu/academy/curriculum.htm

National Heritage Academies

Description: The National Heritage Academies (NHA) program is used at the company's 51 charter schools only. It integrates the best aspects of Core Knowledge and the Hillsdale curriculum. The NHA model is based largely on the Core Knowledge Sequence, and emphasizes that "for a democratic society to function, schools must provide a core body of academic, historical and national knowledge to children." Like at Hillsdale, NHA teachers do not use textbooks, but instead use teacher-developed instructional materials and project-based learning. The focus of the NHA curriculum is on heroes and morality in history, with a strong emphasis "on the uniqueness of U.S. history and on the people who shaped it." The NHA curriculum designers also made a concerted effort to integrate geographical studies into their history lessons, a nod to the inseparability of the two disciplines.

Publisher: Various (depends on content of teacher selected programs.)

Grades: K-8

Web Site: http://www.heritageacademies.com/

A Few Good History Textbooks

In addition to the commendable history curricula above, and despite the general dearth of good textbooks, there are still a few excellent U.S. history texts available. However, there are no world history textbooks worthy of recommendation, and some of the exceptional U.S. history books are likely to soon be out of print.

A History of US

Description: A ten volume U.S. history that is more like literature than a textbook. There are no end-of-chapter tests or quizzes, and the series is written in an engaging, almost conversational way.

Publisher: Oxford

Grades: Fifth through eighth

A History of the United States

Description: Authored by former Librarian of Congress Daniel Boorstin, this is a traditional political history of the United States written with a better narrative style and centered text than almost any other book available.

Publisher: Prentice Hall

Grades: 11th grade and above

Pathways to the Present

Description: This is the best of the "new generation" of textbooks. It has some of the trendy elements of modern textbooks, but still maintains an old-fashioned narrative and features quality writing.

Publisher: Prentice Hall

Grades: 11th grade and above