OCSS President Gayle Thieman Welcomes You
Hello, I am the new president of the Oregon Council for Social Studies and am delighted to serve Oregon educators along with 17 other talented social studies educators from around the state. My passion for social studies is based on twenty years as a classroom teacher, administrator, and social studies leader at the local, state, and national level. I taught 7-12 grade social studies in Illinois, Colorado, and Alaska and was a high school administrator in Alaska and Washington. As an assistant professor at Portland State University, I teach and supervise pre-service elementary teachers and secondary social studies teachers and educational administrators and teach an online history course. I have many years of experience in curriculum, assessment, and professional development with departments of education and with state and local council leadership in Alaska, Washington, and Oregon .

I have served as a member of the NCSS Board of Directors and executive committee, in the House of Delegates, on the membership and assessment committees and chaired the NCSS Membership Committee and the Fund for the Advancement of Social Studies Education (FASSE). I am looking forward to working with all of you as we advocate for our profession.

In the rush towards standards-based assessment, social studies is being squeezed out in elementary and middle schools and restricted to a few core subjects in many high schools. A growing number of teachers leave the profession, disheartened by the challenges of meeting the needs of diverse learners and the lack of resources and support. Advocacy for social studies as an important discipline for all students and for adequate resources and professional development should be the highest priority for OCSS.

My goals for OCSS are to expand professional development and to communicate to policy makers at all levels the vital role of social studies in preparing tomorrow's citizens. I hope you will join the OCSS board as we revitalize our organization and make progress on our strategic plan .As we raise our political voice to strength social studies education, we seek to help students become effective citizens, collaborate with colleagues, expand connections across disciplines and grade levels, promote research, and actively share information through our conference, webpage, and publications. I hope you will join us today.

> OCSS Membership form

Oregon Geographic Alliance

The Oregon Geographic Alliance has a three-fold mission:

• to increase public awareness of the importance of geographic education.
• increase the emphasis on geography in grades K-12.
• improve geographic teaching methods and materials.

Among its many activities, OGA supports teacher inservice programs, develops geography education teaching materials, conducts research in geographic education, develops linkages with other academic disciplines, and generates funding for geography education. In conjunction with the Oregon Department of Education, OGA works cooperatively with public and private educational institutions throughout Oregon .

The summer 2004 OGA institute focused on the theme, Lewis and Clark from a Geographic and Native American Perspective. The institute included content lectures, fieldwork, model lessons, and socializing. The participating teachers designed The Oregonian insert for this year's Geography Action Week. You may request classroom sets by calling 503-221-8182 or by contacting Carolyn Perry at the OGA Office (carolyn@geog.pdx.edu)

Three OGA teachers will present at the NCGE annual meeting in Kansas City October 20-23.

Sheri Reugsegger will serve on a panel for AP Human Geography, June Satak will conduct a workshop on using portfolios in geography classes, and Gail VanderHeide will be part of a team of 10 selected TCs from across the country who will do an encore of their well received presentation at the International Geographic Union meeting in Glasgow , Scotland . They will present an overview of significant developments in geographic education in the US over the past decade. NCGE will be presided by OGA Co-Coordinator, Gwenda Rice.

OGA Teachers Receive Awards
Leslie Simmons of Willamette High School , Eugene , is the 2004 recipient of the NCGE Distinguished Teacher Award. Leslie will receive this prestigious award at the banquet during NCGE's Annual Meeting.

Aelfric Wolf was selected to participate in the National Geographic Society (NGS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Channel Island Field Studies in California . His student, Sadee Baron, was also selected to go.

Jere Fitterman, June Satak, Terri Simons, Judy Sweeney, Gail VanderHeide, Becky Wandell, and Jennifer Wheatley received OGA Incentive Grants, Family Geography Grants, or Travel Grants.

National Geographic Bee
Each year thousands of schools in the United States participate in the National Geographic Bee using materials prepared by the National Geographic Society. The contest is designed to encourage teachers to include geography in their classrooms, spark student interest in the subject, and increase public awareness about geography. Schools with students in grades four through eight are eligible.

For information on Oregon 's Geographic Bee contact: Sheri Ruegsegger at Perrydale High School . Telephone: 503-835-3184 or email: sruegsegger@perrydale.k12.or.us

October 15, 2004 Registration deadline
November 15, 2004 through
January 14, 2005 School-level Geographic Bees
April 1, 2005 State-level Geographic Bee
May 24-25, 2005 National Geographic Bee , Washington D.C.

This is the second installment of an Op Ed article on the NCSS Summer Leadership Institute by OCSS board member Greg Timmons.
If you missed the first installment, it can be read here.

The most riveting presentation at the NCSS Summer Leadership Institute was by Michael Boucher and colleagues from the Minnesota Council for the Social Studies who spoke about "Meeting Political Challenges: Lessons in Building Coalitions and Responding to Crisis." Their presentation told a tale of the newly elected governor's political appointment of the Commissioner of Education. In a political atmosphere of reviewing content standards for Language Arts and Mathematics to comply with No Child Left Behind , the commissioner's first order of business was to rewrite the state's academic standards. With a 44-member citizen writing committee appointed by the Commissioner the standards were rewritten in a month! None of the regular social studies people were involved in the process, and there was no input from any of the regular educational organizations - no curriculum directors, specialists or college professors were consulted. The result was social studies standards that were factually erroneous, poorly written with many grammatical errors, politically biased and imbalanced. Teachers couldn't find a single textbook that would support these standards. Through 14 public hearings, hundreds of letters to local newspapers, and lots of media coverage, several very active educational groups were able to stop the adoption of the proposed standards, block the confirmation of the Commissioner, and reverse the process of adopting the standards with a bipartisan, legislatively approved new set of standards.

With some investigation it was discovered that much of the input into writing the standards came from the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation and the Heritage Foundation. The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation is a conservative research group populated with former officials of the Reagan and first Bush administrations and headed by Reagan's former assistant education secretary, Chester Finn. The Foundation's mission is to promote higher standards with verifiable outcomes and accountability, equal opportunity and educational diversity, competition and choice. (http://www.edexcellence.net/foundation/global/index.cfm) However, upon closer examination, it is apparent that the organization is dedicated to educational reform that promotes a conservative agenda, closing schools through implementation of NCLB that don't "make the grade" and replacing them with charter or voucher schools.

In the last part of the presentation, the Minnesota contingent reviewed the actions they took to mobilize. They contacted key stake holders through the Internet to recruit members and build alliances. They worked hard to identify friends and foes and worked closely with the legislature to keep them informed of their findings. They took on the opposition by closely monitoring their actions, responding quickly to their accusations (always taking the high road) and publicly offering alternatives to what the Commission panel of reviewers proposed. The alternatives they crafted weren't that much different from the opposition's but corrected the concerns expressed. You can review their statement of concern on their website at http://www.mcss.org/stand_position.html

The final highlight of the NCSS Leadership Institute was writing resolutions for the House of Delegates that convenes at the annual conference, November 19-20. Working with delegates from Ohio , Nebraska , California , South Carolina , New York , Prince Georges County Council, Nevada , and Iowa the Oregon contingent helped craft a resolution to "develop a variety of mechanisms to collect anecdotes and statistics for NCSS to deliver to legislators and request their support for the inclusion of the social studies as a core academic area in NCLB." The thinking behind this is if the Social Studies is not considered a core curriculum area as are Language Arts, Mathematics and soon to be added Science, then less time will be designed in school schedules (especially in the elementary grades) and Social Studies could be relegated to being a virtual elective.

Regardless of who becomes president, No Child Left Behind is here to stay. It is not perfect, but most educators are resigned to its existence and resolved to its reform. The Oregon Council for the Social Studies is actively participating in this process by sponsoring a survey presented through the Oregon Department of Education that will survey teachers on the effect of House Bill 2744. (HB2744 defined the academic subjects in which students must demonstrate proficiency to receive CIM as English, mathematics, and science, eliminating the arts, physical education, history, geography, economics, civics, second languages). We encourage your active participation in the survey and the debate that is sure to follow.

My First Trip to NCSS Leadership Institute By Greg Timmons, OCSS board member

I have been teaching for over 25 years in Oregon and during that time I really hadn't become very involved with the Oregon Council for the Social Studies and had virtually no involvement with the National Council for Social Studies. Oh sure, I attended the OCSS Fall Conference in October like many of you to get "the latest and greatest" in educational materials and techniques and commiserate with colleagues. Last year I decided to join OCSS (and thus NCSS) and become more involved. The first thing I did was manage to get myself elected to the OCSS board of directors. This entitled me to. well, go to meetings. talk with some very smart, professional people who are very dedicated to the future of the social studies in Oregon. and get myself more deeply involved with the organization. One of the things you do as a board member is go to NATIONAL meetings where you get to meet other people with the same level of dedication and desire to promote the social studies on a national stage. The first meeting I attended was the National Council for the Social Studies Summer Leadership Institute on July 22 nd - 24 th . And are the Social Studies ever in need of an institute like this! There are some very scary things going on out there.

For starters, institute participants heard from Claus von Zastrow, Executive Director of the Council for Basic Education. He reported on a recent study entitled "Academic Atrophy: The Condition of Liberal Arts in America's Public Schools," funded in part by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The study focused on the effect of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) on the liberal arts education. While acknowledging NCLB reflects a growing consensus that high academic expectations translate to high achievement and NCLB is committed to closing achievement gaps, the study also points out that NCLB "may well constitute a significant danger." The study presents evidence that the exclusive focus "on mathematics, reading and eventually science is diverting significant time and resources from other academic subjects." This means the Social Studies,especially in elementary education.

The study points out that life in the 21 st century has become very complex and educational requirements for success have grown accordingly. Our students and we teachers are bombarded with information from all forms of electronic media, presenting complex issues and events. Job skills are changing at a rate never before seen. The main theme of the upcoming presidential election is the war on terror and the need for the country to pull together and defend itself. Has there ever been another time in American history when a solid education in the Social Studies was more important?

What can educators and policy makers do to insure that Social Studies plays a major role in school reform? The study makes four recommendations for the liberal arts. I will address these exclusively to the Social Studies:

1. Integrate the Social Studies into school improvement strategies
2. Better prepare teachers to integrate the Social Studies into Reading instruction
3. Incorporate all Social Studies courses into standards and accountability systems.
4. Maintain high goals for excellence in the Social Studies and track progress towards these goals.

And I will add a fifth recommendation:

1. As an educator, develop a relationship with YOUR policy maker, be it the principal, superintendent, parent, or legislator to make sure that the Social Studies do play a major role in school reform.

By now you are probably saying, "That's great for the political organizations like NCSS and OCSS but what can I do?". If you are a politically engaged educator, connected with educational policy makers and concerned about the future of the social studies, you can help OCSS connect with its legislators. Join OCSS if you aren't already a member and engage yourself in the political discussions the organization is conducting at state-wide conferences and on the OCSS webpage Forum. If you feel you are not a "politically savvy policy wonk" but still are concerned about the status and future of Social Studies education you can engage your own community on the issues.

1. Play an active role in integrating the social studies into school improvement strategies.
2. Invite members of the community (PTA officers, local politicians, board members - especially those with children in the schools, and media people) into your classroom to see the magic you perform every day in social studies education.
3. If they don't show up, send them a brief newsletter of events and invite them again.
4. Send out a newsletter to parents weekly, monthly or even quarterly to let them know what you are doing in social studies education and cc it to your principal and superintendent.
5. Write letters to the editor of your local paper about the importance of social studies education. (Yes, you are a public servant, but you are also a concerned citizen who pays taxes just like everyone else. You too can have a public voice.)

OCSS encourages readers to respond to this Op-Ed article and other newsletter articles on the OCSS webpage Forum. Click here to add your comments. This topic will be continued in the November newsletter. Stay tuned.

From Awareness to Action: Bono Speaks October 20, 2004
Ticket Options for Students and Teachers

International Speakers Series Student Tickets

• $80 for all 4 events
• Non-reserved seating
• Order through World Affairs Council of Oregon (503) 552-9888 or www.worldoregon.org

Student Scholarships for International Speakers Series

• Limited number of scholarships available. Maximum 10 scholarships per school (9 students, 1 teacher) on a first come, first served basis
• Scholarship recipients pay $30 for series tickets
• Must be a full-time student with ID
• Order through World Affairs Council of Oregon - (503) 552-9888

Social Studies Teacher Grants for International Speakers Series

• Ten (10) grants available on a first come, first served basis
• Maximum of one (1) teacher grant per school
• Grant recipients pay $30 for series tickets
• Past grant recipients not eligible
• Order through World Affairs Council of Oregon - (503) 552-9888

Individual Tickets for Bono Event

• $35, $50, $80 and $125 (prices do not include Ticketmaster handling and service fees)
• Order through Ticketmaster beginning September 13

Group Tickets for Bono Event

• Limited number of group tickets for schools available on a first come, first served basis
• $35 each
• Call Jaylen or Carol at World Affairs Council of Oregon (503) 274-7488

> More Info

The mission of the World Affairs Council of Oregon is to engage Oregonians with the world and broaden public awareness and understanding of international affairs. It serves as a community resource on international affairs; enhances international education in the schools; and sponsors international professional visitors.

Summary
From Awareness to Action is a comprehensive program designed to engage young people in vital global issues. It will provide not only information on critical topics, but opportunities for constructive action.

The appearance in Portland on October 20, 2004 by Bono, lead singer for the Irish rock band U2, as opening presenter for the Council's 2004-2005 International Speaker Series is central to this effort. Bono is the world's most famous rock star: U2 has sold over 120 million albums and won 7 Grammys. Bono is also one of the world's most effective social activists. For twenty years, he has used his celebrity to raise awareness (and hundreds of millions of dollars) for AIDS and debt relief in Africa , and has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

We believe that Bono's appearance in Portland will provide an extraordinary opportunity to reach young people in our community with a powerful message of global awareness and constructive engagement. The From Awareness to Action initiative seeks to use the inspiration and energy of Bono's message, as well as his example of social activism, to mobilize young people to learn about their world and work to make it a better place.

• Broaden public understanding of critical international issues
• Encourage responsible civic engagement locally and globally
• Provide opportunities for young people to learn and take action onglobal issues

Proclamation: Global Awareness to Action Day

• October 20, 2004 will be declared Global Awareness to Action Day
• The focus will be on highlighting examples of effective civic engagement, both globally and locally

Global Action Fair on October 20, 2004

• High school community and international service learning projects will be displayed on the concourse of the Rose Garden Arena (for example, Beaverton High School 's 3-year effort to decommission land mines)
• Anticipated participation of 30-50 schools
• Internationally focused non-profit organizations will also be invited to participate and provide information on the work they do
• Opportunity to inform the community about work in process and encourage involvement

Global Action Forums

• Day-long workshops organized by local high schools with participation by students from throughout Oregon and southwest Washington
• Forums focused on issues introduced by presenters in the International Speakers Series
• Global Action Forums confirmed to date are:
  • The AIDS Pandemic, December 11, 2004
    Co-hosted by Southridge and Beaverton High Schools in Beaverton , Oregon
  • Terrorism, March 5, 2005
    Hosted by Columbia River High School in Vancouver , Washington
  • Sustainability: From International Concern to Local Involvement, April 9, 2005. Hosted by Model United Nations Conference, University of Oregon , Eugene

Global Awareness / Action Resources

• An extensive list of curriculum materials and resources on topics covered in the International Speaker Series has been developed for high school and college educators to use in their classrooms throughout the year.
• Students and community members may also use this web-based list of articles and web sites to gather information of interest
• The list of resources is available on the World Affairs Council's web site

 Global & Multicultural Resource Center

• Cultural Bridge Boxes - Housed at Portland State, the award winning GMRC has built a lending library of cultural materials for both school and community use. These boxes are brimming with books, pictures, maps, lessons, and hands-on treasures, from musical instruments to toys & games, from over 50 countries.
• Equity Bridge Boxes, on all aspects of global & multicultural education, are filled with activities on ways to support human rights both locally and globally.
• Expanding our focus - In 2004-5, our goal is to enhance the quality and quantity of materials on AIDS, debt relief, global trade, and global sustainability to share with the hundreds of teachers who visit & borrow from our center each year.
• Speakers Bureau - We also plan to add a list of local experts on the above topics who could speak at our Global Action Forums or other school events to our current database of cultural speakers and performers,

International Education Week, November 15 - 19, 2004

• GlobalMobile - In the fall of 2003 we inaugurated our traveling GlobalMobile with a one-time International Education Week Grant. The GlobalMobile, while flying the flags of many nations, transported international students to 6 Portland inner city schools to do presentations on their countries, enhanced with hands-on materials from our Cultural Bridge Box collection. This new initiative was extremely well received by over 1,000 children and 35 teachers.
• Due to the tremendous success of this new initiative, our 2004-5 goal is to expand the reach of the GlobalMobile to many more schools , literally bringing the world to the classroom.
• We also plan to deepen this annual international education outreach with our new Adopt An International Studentprogram for K-12 schools in cooperation with local colleges. Through the AIS program, college students here from other lands would visit selected schools regularly throughout the year, greatly increasing the chance for true intercultural understanding to develop.

WorldQuest Global Knowledge Competition, February 19, 2005

• Since it's beginning in 2002, teams from high schools throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington have spent months preparing for this friendly daylong competition on global issues.
• During the competition, participants have an opportunity to interact with other high school students and an array of international students from Portland State University . In addition, at the dinner hour break, integrated teams experience a hands-on introduction to the food, beliefs, arts, language, music and celebrations of various regions of the world.
• Students are introduced to the concept of Fair Trade , as many items needed for the event, from international food to Shona sculpture trophies are purchased from Fair Trade merchants, such as 10,000 Villages .
• The winning team is able to participate in the national finals in Washington , DC , organized by the World Affairs Councils of America .
• Launched in Oregon in 2002, our goal is to increase the number of participating schools from rural areas in 2004-2005, as well as forge linkages with the From Awareness to Action initiative.
• WorldQuest schools will be encouraged to display service projects at the Global Action Fair , and host or participate in Global Action Forums and International Education Week.

Cross Town X Cross Culture: Riverkeeper Project, Winter/Spring 2005

• Since, 1997 Cross Town X Cross Culture has been bringing middle school students together from very different neighborhoods in Portland to experience the "world in their backyard" at Portland State University with international students, dialogue, art, music and the common language of dance.
• In the 2002-2003 school year, with the help of a small grant from Washington Mutual, this project was expanded to include a global environmental component and renamed, Cross Town X Cross Culture: Riverkeeper Project. .
• After looking at local water pollution issues on the Willamette, exploring global water issues with International Students, creating a Water Bridge Dance to express concern for these issues through art, they culminated their experience by doing a community service project on the Columbia River with Portland Metro.
• This very successful program is unique to the World Affairs Council of Oregon but has great potential for replication in other communities. Our goal in 2004-5 is to create a template to aid other organizations and schools in creating a similar program.

Opportunity for Students and Teachers
The World Affairs Council of Oregon is excited to announce that as part of the 2004-2005 International Speakers Series, we are launching a comprehensive educational program called From Awareness to Action designed to engage students and our community in vital global and local issues. The Global Action Fair will be the launching pad for the From Awareness to Action initiative.

We believe that Bono's appearance in Portland will provide an extraordinary opportunity to reach people in our community - especially young people - with a powerful message of global awareness and constructive engagement. The From Awareness to Action initiative seeks to use the inspiration and energy of Bono's message, as well as his example of social activism, to mobilize people in our community to learn about the world and work to make it a better place.

Prior to Bono's appearance, attendees of the lecture will have the opportunity to peruse the Global Action Fair on the concourse of the Rose Garden. The Global Action Fair will provide an opportunity for students to display their international and community service learning projects. The Global Action Fair aims to highlight issues, which will be addressed in the World Affairs Council's International Speakers Series by including non-profit organizations that are involved in efforts connected to those issues as well. For example, Cascade AIDS Project will be there with their Action Room - an interactive space for attendees to write on the graffiti wall or make a button. The goals of the event are to broaden public understanding of critical international issues, inform the community about work in process and encourage responsible civic engagement locally and globally.

Registration does not include tickets to the Bono lecture. If students and teachers exhibiting at the Global Action Fair also want to attend the lecture, tickets will need to be purchased prior to the event. Tickets may be purchased several ways. Please see the Ticket Option information that has been sent with this letter. There is a small charge to cover the costs of table and chair rentals. It is our hope that this cost can be paid through school districts, parent associations or local businesses. The Council can provide a sponsorship letter to approach businesses or organizations upon request.

Once the registration form is returned, more detailed information will be sent regarding unloading/loading, parking, schedule of events, etc. If you have any questions regarding the Global Action Fair or the application process, please contact Jaylen Albright Schmitt at (503) 274-7488 or jaylen@worldoregon.org . More detailed information on the From Awareness to Action initiative and the Council's International Speakers Series are attached to this email. We look forward to seeing you at the Global Action Fair on October 20!

The Oregon Council on Economic Education ("OCEE") is a nonprofit partnership of leaders from education, business, and labor dedicated to increasing economic literacy in Oregon . As part of the National Council on Economic Education network of university-based affiliated Councils, our mission is to provide students with a basic understanding of economics and the problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and teamwork skills necessary to survive and prosper in today's complex world. Indeed, OCEE is convinced that this knowledge and these skills will enable students to become more productive members of the workforce, knowledgeable consumers, prudent savers and investors, effective participants in the global economy, and competent decision makers throughout their lives.

Within Oregon , OCEE's Center for Economic Education works with teachers to provide training and curricular support. As part of our services, OCEE provides the following programs to all school districts in Oregon :

• Oregon Stock Market Game. The Stock Market Game is an internet-based, 10 week investment simulation allowing student teams, teachers, and interested investors to manage an imaginary $100,000 portfolio by investing in common stocks and mutual funds on the New York , American, and NASDAQ Stock Exchanges. The Stock Market Game is appropriate for grades 4 through 12, college students, and any interested investor. Last year, we had almost 800 teams and 3,000 students across Oregon playing the game. The Fall 2004 session begins on Monday, September 20th and continues through the trading day of Friday, November 26th. To register for the Stock Market Game, go to the following website: www.stockmarketgame.org
• Financial Fitness for Life. This program helps students apply economics and decision-making skills to the real world of earning and spending an income, savings, using credit, investing, and managing money. This comprehensive K-12 program consists of teacher resource manuals, student workbooks, parent guides, interactive activities, and a CD-ROM.
• Economics Challenge. The NCEE/Goldman Sachs National Economics Challenge is a state, regional and national competition for high school students designed to increase their understanding of and interest in economics and finance. Students compete in teams for a chance to win prizes and a trip to New York City to compete in the national finals.

The offices of the Oregon Council on Economic Education are located at Portland State University , but our services are provided statewide. Contact the Center for Economic Education at Portland State University for assistance with the Oregon Stock Market Game or other economic education curriculum matters at:

Portland State University
P.O. Box 751
Portland , OR 97207

Phone: (503) 725-3169
Fax: (503) 725-8335
Email: OCEE@pdx.edu or wassamk@pdx.edu
Website: www.oreconcouncil.org