Illinois’s new statute is part of a nationwide trend in which topics of local and regional concern, ranging from state history to personal finance, become part of the social studies curriculum. The topic might come from a state legislator, as it did in Illinois, or from a group at the grassroots level. But no matter the source, it usually reflects some aspect of history, government, or economics that parents or other interested citizens feel has been neglected in schools.

These mandates show that the American tradition of local control of schools remains alive and well. But they also add to a social studies curriculum that has become heftier in recent years because most states have passed specific social studies standards. In fact, one of social studies teachers’ many challenges these days is making sure that they cover all of the standards during the school year.

Without question, many of the curriculum mandates growing out of local concerns are worthy topics. A number of them focus on issues of human rights and diversity. California, for instance, states in its History-Social Science Framework that students must “Discuss human rights violations and genocide, including the Ottoman government’s actions against Armenian citizens.” California also requires schools to build material about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez into every year of the curriculum.

In fall 2005, Philadelphia started a new course that every public high school student in the city must take—African and African-American history. The course is intended to teach students about issues of race in U.S. history, but it also gives teachers an opportunity to highlight the important role that African Americans have played in their city’s history. Other states make sure that schools focus on the history and contributions of various ethnic groups. New York State, for example, specifically identifies the Dutch, Irish, English, African-American, Spanish, and German communities and their roles in local, state, and national history.

A number of states incorporate state history into the curriculum, often in fifth or eighth grade. Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, and Louisiana all require courses on state history in eighth grade, while other states, such as New York, call for the integration of state history with national history. The mandates for state history give teachers a great opportunity to relate history more directly to their students’ lives.

State and local governments have also taken steps to ensure that citizenship and civic responsibility form part of the social studies curriculum. California specifically names six key documents that students should read and understand to become informed citizens: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Federalist Papers, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address, and George Washington’s Farewell Address. Missouri requires schools to spend one class period every year teaching about the importance of Veterans Day.

In economics and consumer education, several states have mandated that students understand the basic principles of the American economy and of personal finance. Illinois, for instance, requires all students to study a unit on consumer economics before they graduate. High school students in Texas must take a semester course in economics, and economics is woven into the other social studies courses so that students will, in the words of the state curriculum, be able to “function . . . in a free enterprise society.” According to the National Council for Economic Education, more than 50% of the states have developed standards regarding personal finance.

While these mandates build on the tradition of local control of education, they do add to an already crowded social studies curriculum. Students can feel a bit overwhelmed, but teachers can take practical steps to help students make sense of all the information.

• Use big ideas and essential questions to help students form a coherent whole out of all the facts, events, dates, and people that form the rich pageantry of history. In its social studies curriculum, for instance, New York identifies four Key Ideas for each subject, and these Key Ideas extend from elementary through intermediate to high school, lending coherence to the social studies curriculum.

• When studying state or local history, take advantage of the opportunities to tap students’ inherent motivation in studying a subject that touches them personally. Encourage students to bring in and share photographs, memorabilia, and other primary sources that reflect local or state history. There may even be opportunities for students to share appropriate oral histories that can help bring history alive.

• Make full use of the resources that textbook publishers provide to plan efficient coverage of state standards. Most publishers correlate their materials to state standards and provide pacing guides that can help plan out the entire school year. It is well worth taking a little extra time at the beginning of the school year to review these materials and plan which supplements best fit the needs of the students.

Local control is a hallmark of American education, and we don’t want to lose the valuable topics that can emerge from the local or state level. But it is important also to give students as many tools as possible to help them make sense of the information they gain in the classroom and begin to form it into a coherent whole.