Want stronger readers? Don’t sideline social studies

Public schools across Maryland should support students to learn to read and communicate through speaking and writing. This statement is not controversial. But how to accomplish it can be.

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) is considering a policy intended to further support students’ literacy development in fourth through eighth grade. Even before the policy has passed, some districts are considering school schedules that devote more time to English Language Arts (ELA) and targeted reading support and take time from social studies and science classes to make room. Some proposed schedules cut social studies time for middle schoolers in half.

The problem with this approach is that its effects may be the opposite of what is intended: Decreasing time in social studies is likely to negatively affect students’ reading comprehension and critical thinking abilities.

We, along with our colleagues Joann Kang and Elizabeth Reynolds, are social studies and civic education faculty at the University of Maryland, College Park; we have all been middle or high school teachers and are now experts in social studies education research and teacher education.

First, time in social studies can improve students’ literacy as much — if not more — than time in ELA. Social studies classrooms are filled with rich opportunities to read and learn to communicate through speaking and writing. They also help students build knowledge about the world that is fundamental to reading comprehension. A longitudinal study of first through fifth graders’ reading performance by researchers at the Fordham Institute found that social studies was the only subject “with a clear, positive, and statistically significant effect on reading improvement.”

Elementary students who spent more time in social studies made substantially more reading progress compared to peers with less instructional time in social studies — and students from low-income families and those who speak English as a second language benefited the most. At the same time, more time spent in ELA lessons was not associated with improved reading performance.

Second, social studies classrooms engage students in learning to read and compose arguments in unique, valuable ways. They foster inquiry-based learning in which students investigate pressing questions or issues by evaluating, reading, and discussing a variety of sources.

For example, in civics, students might focus on the question, “Is further restricting gun ownership a valid response to concerns about public safety?” History students could investigate a question like, “Was the New Deal a success or failure?”

Social studies teachers support students to build relevant background knowledge, weigh the credibility of sources, carefully read and analyze texts, and develop written or oral arguments in response to the question under investigation. These experiences support students to develop stronger reading comprehension, build content knowledge, and hone critical thinking skills.

Third, as you began to see in the examples above, social studies classrooms support students’ development beyond literacy. In particular, they provide opportunities for students to learn knowledge and skills they need for informed civic engagement in our shared democracy.

Although all subjects contribute to the civic mission of schools, social studies classrooms are the primary pillar of our commitment to shape democratic citizens. Students have opportunities to learn about their communities, to consider how today’s world evolved from the past and their shared responsibilities in the present, and to practice skills — like being able to evaluate sources and to engage in discussions with people with diverse opinions — that informed civic participation requires.

On our nation’s 250th anniversary, we should double down on our commitment to teach civic education, not reduce time in the subject most devoted to it.

Although increasing instructional time in ELA may seem like a logical way to boost students’ literacy, doing so at the expense of time in social studies has been tried and proven to fail. Any policy that has the intended or unintended effect of districts reducing social studies time will likely undercut students’ literacy.

We urge MSDE to carefully consider the implications of its proposed literacy policy, and we hope Maryland’s 24 school districts do all they can to retain social studies instructional time. Teachers, parents, and students, please ask your district about these plans. Our students’ ability to read, write, speak, and act in our shared democracy depends on it.