Removing barriers is Joe's job. As a former high school social studies teacher and current social studies specialist with the Maine DOE, Joe understands the importance of ensuring that educators have the resources they need to provide the best social studies education possible to the next generation, and works actively to that end. On top of his work as a curriculum leader with the Maine DOE, Joe has done consultant work with a number of school districts and is available to provide this service outside of Maine.
Check out Joe's list of recommended resources for social studies educators!
Joe thinks that social studies education should strive to teach its students to be more aware of the world around them, prepared to comprehend and engage with social issues. Joe's work with organizations like Teaching Tolerance and iCivics, providing advisement and insight on content and curriculum development, demonstrates his commitment to creating social studies curricula that introduce students to social issues and equip them to navigate the world with greater social awareness.
Joe believes that a good social studies education should prepare students to be informed and active members of society. In addition to his work with Teaching Tolerance, supporting the organization's efforts to promote social studies curricula that educate students to be active members of society, Joe has held offices with the Wisconsin Media Lab, the Maine Jump$tart Alliance and the Maine Commission for Community Service, helping foster civic engagement both in schools and in the communities surrounding them. As social justice comes to the forefront of our national consciousness, Joe advocates for social studies education that enables students to be the change they want to see in the world.
Check out Joe's compiled diversity, equity, and inclusion resources!
Because social studies is the lens through which students learn to engage with the world around them, Joe recognizes the importance of ensuring that social studies education grows and adapts to reflect the needs of its students. He has hosted multiple NCSS webinars discussing how social studies is everywhere in the world around us, and has held positions on the NCSS Task Force on Advocacy, the NCSS Task Force on Inquiry, the NCSS Social Education Select Subcommittee, and the NCSS Government and Public Relations Committee, all in an effort to cultivate progress in social studies education. In response to COVID-19, Joe hosted nearly 100 webinars with the Maine DOE to ensure that social studies educators were supported during the pandemic and would be prepared to confront the challenges COVID-19 poses to both them and their students. Joe has moreover worked to bring ateention to the importance of social studies education in elementary schools, and contributed to the CCSSO's "The Marginalization of Social Studies" to bring awareness to this issue.
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