The Fordham Institute's longitudinal study offers compelling evidence for the significant role of social studies in literacy development, stating that it is "the only subject with a clear, positive, and statistically significant effect on reading improvement." Their research further elaborates that” increasing social studies instruction by approximately thirty minutes daily in grades 1–5 (moving from the tenth to the ninetieth percentile) correlates with a 15 percent of a standard deviation improvement on fifth-grade reading assessments, even when accounting for various student, school, and teacher factors, as well as initial kindergarten reading abilities.” The Institute's recommendations strongly resonate with our project's goals, anticipated outcomes, and planned processes, as they advocate that "1) Elementary schools should make more room for high-quality social studies instruction; 2) Teachers should use the literacy block efficiently to build student knowledge; and 3) Policymakers and administrators should align reading assessments with curricular content."
A 2022 survey by the Rand Corporation, titled "The Missing Infrastructure for Elementary (K–5) Social Studies Instruction: Findings from the 2022 American Instructional Resources Survey," further underscores the need for greater emphasis on K-5 social studies. Their findings revealed a significant lack of state-level infrastructure to support elementary social studies instruction across many states during the 2021–2022 school year. Notably, this lack of support for social studies stands in stark contrast to the established infrastructure for other core subjects, significantly influencing teachers' approaches to social studies. Furthermore, anecdotal evidence suggests that the increased focus on the Science of Reading since 2023 has not led to any improvement in the attention given to elementary social studies.
In September 2024, NCSS released a Position Statement on Powerful, Purposeful Teaching and Learning in Elementary Social Studies that further bolstered our approach to work directly with elementary teachers to plan more intentionally and with a connection to literacy. NCSS stated “To successfully teach social studies in the elementary classroom, teachers must be intentional when planning. With support from district leadership, teachers can implement a core curriculum where social studies concepts connect with literacy and STEAM, allowing learners to link ideas across subjects.”