Joe Schmidt Social Studies LLC

#VoteJoe4President - National Council for the Social Studies

Support Across the Map and Roles in Social Studies Education

Joe Schmidt is proud that his experience in social studies education bridges divides across job titles, geography, content area expertise, and grade levels.

Check out the links below to see what people are saying about his leadership!

Teacher of the Year Award Winners and Classroom Teachers

CUFA Members and Higher Education

NSSSA Members and District Leadership

State Council Leaders

Educational Organizations

Candidate Bio

Joe Schmidt is proud of his work that spans from teaching in the classroom to district, state, and national level leadership where he supports educators that teach grades PK-12. He strives to connect social studies educators regardless of grade level, content area, geographic location, or political leanings. He has worked for and with the Bill of Rights Institute, Learning for Justice, the National Council for Geographic Education, ThinkerAnalytix, the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Finance, iCivics, National Geographic, and the University of Maine.

Joe leads by serving in multiple leadership roles with NCSS, including the Board of Directors and previously on the Board’s Executive Committee. He is currently or has served as chair or co-chair for the Government and Public Relations Committee, the NCSS Advocacy Task Force, the C3 Framework Task Force, the 2020 NCSS Summer Leadership Institute, the Task Force on Inquiry, and the select subcommittee for the Social Education Journal.

Joe is honored to be a member of the College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA), and currently represents the National Social Studies Supervisors Association (NSSSA) and the Council of State Social Studies Supervisors (CS4) on the NCSS Board of Directors.

Position Statement

We find ourselves in the center of a nationwide battle over what social studies is and what should be taught, and educators and students are paying the price. To do more than just survive, we need to bring our social studies communities together to thrive. As author Audrey Lorde says, “It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.”

We must lean into our similarities instead of allowing others to divide us based on differences. It is with pride that I held leadership roles across content areas and grade levels. It is an honor to work with organizations that some believe represent conflicting sides of the political spectrum while writing a book about civil discourse. I value having classroom experience and raising the voices of teachers and students from across our country while holding roles representing districts, states, and national organizations. This diversity of experience continually reminds me that when we remember it is our passion for social studies that unites us, we can celebrate our differences.

I believe our best chance to thrive is as a social studies community with all voices at the table, together!

About Joe

Social Studies Advocacy

Joe is proud of his work that spans from teaching in the classroom to district, state, and national level leadership where he supports educators that teach grades PK-12. He strives to connect social studies educators regardless of grade level, content area, geographic location, or political leanings. He has worked with Colonial Williamsburg, Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance), the National Council for Geographic Education, ThinkerAnalytix, Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Finance, iCivics, National Geographic, and has taught Elementary Methods at the University of Maine.

Background in Education

Joe served as a high school social studies classroom teacher for nine years in rural Wisconsin before leaving the classroom to be the Social Studies Teacher Leader for the Madison Metropolitan School District for three years. Joe was the Social Studies Specialist for the Maine Department of Education for five years and is now the Director of Programs for the Bill of Rights Institute, a 501(c)3 non-profit based out of Arlington, Virginia. He is an elected member of the Board of Directors for the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and is running for president of NCSS this fall.

Joe can be found on almost all social media @madisonteacher and is currently working on his second book about evolving best practices in social studies education today.

Memberships and Recognition

Joe currently holds leadership positions or serves in an advisory capacity with the following organizations:

Vice President-Elect National Council for the Social Studies
National Council for Geographic Education
iCivics
ThinkerAnalytix

Throughout his career, Joe has lead or served in support of the following committees or organizations:

Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance)
NCSS Task Force on Advocacy
NCSS Task Force on Standards
NCSS Task Force on the C3 Framework
NCSS Task Force on Inquiry
NCSS Government and Public Relations Committee
NCSS Social Education Select Subcommittee
NCSS Development Committee
NCSS Innovation Committee
NCSS House of Delegates
Maine Commission for Community Service
Maine Bicentennial Commission - Education Subcommittee
National Geographic: Maine Advisory Council
Maine Council for the Social Studies
Maine Jump$tart Alliance
Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies
Colonial Williamsburg
Wisconsin Media Labs
Center for the Study of the American Constitution
European Union Center for Excellence

Joe is a frequent presenter at state, regional, and national conferences with presentations focusing on civil discourse, disciplinary literacy, inquiry, assessment, and the use of primary sources among others. He has presented for or consulted with organizations and school districts in states representing more than half the country, including giving featured talks at conferences in Texas, Tennessee, Florida, Wisconsin, Kansas, Delaware, and Oklahoma in addition to presenting at more than fifteen different state conferences.

Civil Discourse: Classroom Conversations for Stronger Communities

If you want to learn more, you can order Civil Discourse: Classroom Conversations for Stronger Community by Joe Schmidt and Nichelle Pinkney from Corwin. Joe and Nichelle are also available to provide professional development to your district, and you can fill out this form to have one of them follow up with you to learn more.

What professional development participants are saying:

National Civic Education Organization

"Joe brought tremendous energy to the two-hour workshop about civic discourse at NCSS 2022. This session was on the final morning of the conference, and his session definitely energized me and will help me in my work with educators and students." - Caitlin, Head of Growth & Implementation, at Local Civics

District Social Studies Manager (Florida)

"Joe brings with him a knowledge, insight and passion for social studies that can compliment and elevate a state or district mission. He is a heart-first educator who champions students and educators in all of his endeavors. I am lucky to know Joe and to have collaborated with him." Jaclyn Holimon

Middle School Social Studies Teacher (Maine)

"One of the absolute best presenters I have ever had for a conference." Jada Diket

6-12 Building Principal (Wisconsin)

"Joe will bring with him a passion and excitement for Social Studies that will quickly be passed on to your staff that attend his training. I highly recommend reaching out to Joe for your professional development needs in the area of social studies." Jared Deshane

Middle School Teacher (Michigan)

"Joe's energy and enthusiasm for learning are contagious. It is always inspiring workign with him. His passion for social studies and his experience leading students and adults is appreciated. He continually strives to be a catalyst for positive change and improvement wherever he is. " Michelle Knauf

High School Social Studies Teacher (Wisconsin)

"Joe was incredibly knowledgeable and did a great job of explaining new concepts and practices with us. I am very appreciative of everything Joe did for us that day, and our students are certainly benefiting from it." Matt Parkansky

High School Social Studies Teacher (Maine)

"Joe came to speak to our group of dual enrollment social studies instructors while we were reading Civil Discourse. He was energetic and interesting (not news anyone who knows him) and unafraid to tackle hard questions about both his book and larger themes of social studies education. I appreciated his willingness to get into the weeds of participant’s questions with useful solutions and (like any social studies educator worth their salt) an occasional tangent." Anthony Feldpausch

High School Social Studies Teacher (Wisconsin)

"I found Joe to be very engaging and a wealth of knowledge in the area of social studies. This planning session took place several years ago and I still use many of the sites, concepts, and ideas that he shared with us." Sue Stoltenberg