Restructuring Secondary Social Studies: Results of the Humanities Project at Greece Athena High School

Abstract

Recent findings have shown that American students lack sufficient knowledge in the field of social studies. Despite calls for changes to school programs to correct this, few reforms have been enacted. The Humanities program at Greece Athena High School offers an integrated program of Art, English, and Social Studies that keeps the same teachers and students together for two years. This model allows for the opportunity to implement instructional reform without drastically changing the rest of the school’s structure. The author examines the question of whether restructuring school programs benefits students by evaluating the Humanities program implemented by Athena High School. Exam results, student and teacher surveys, and student interviews were used to measure the effectiveness of the program, particularly in regards to learning styles, understanding of current events, future academic preparedness, and student-teacher interaction. Their findings strongly indicate that the Humanities program benefited the participating students in all of these areas. The author argues for the publicization of this program as a feasible model for improvement in high school humanities.