Political, social, economic and educational forces influencing Economics Education in the United States (1885--2007): A case study in liberal arts advocacy

This historical research will provide school leaders with a broad conception of the conditions, forces and processes behind the development of Economics Education. It serves as a case study of past and current practices and approaches to advocacy in economics education. Since it began in 1885, economics education has experienced many obstacles and successes as a part of its development in to a nationally recognized and tested content area. Economics appears on the National Assessment of Educational Progress for the first time in 2007. Throughout its history the political, social economic and educational forces in the United States have influenced the development of economics education in both positive and negative ways. In response, economics education has had to develop a well-defined advocacy framework in order to justify the importance of economics education in secondary education. This research will use historical documentary analysis to illustrate the successes and failures of the advocacy framework used in economics education. The researcher will identify the specific examples of advocacy strategies used by lawmakers, professional organizations, educators, theorists, government agencies, universities and colleges in the development of economics education as a national movement. Successful advocacy strategies in economics education include (1) a clearly defined purpose, (2) advocacy by related professional organizations, (3) legislative support and funding, (4) partnerships with colleges and universities, and (5) clearly defined standards, assessment and research. The advocacy framework illustrated in this case study can be used by any of the humanities or liberal arts looking to establish the importance of their inclusion into a secondary education curriculum.