IPA Policy Scientists Present at Annual Education Conference

​Fran O’Malley, Scott Abbott and Grace Donohue led presentations at the Middle States Council for the Social Studies (MSCSS) annual conference on Feb. 24-25. MSCSS is recognized as the oldest social studies professional organization in the world, formed in 1903. Its early leaders were instrumental in creating the National Council for Social Studies, which is now the largest social studies professional organization in the world. O’Malley is the director of Delaware Center for Civics Education, a unit of the University’s Institute for Public Administration (IPA); he co-presented with Donohue, an Honors student in the 4+1 Master of Public Administration program and research assistant with IPA. O'Malley and Donohue provided elementary and middle school teachers with guided practice in the use of classroom mock trials using historical trials as case studies. The presentation incorporated the 1660 trial and execution of Mary Dyer, a Quaker posing a threat to the Puritan theocracy in Massachusetts Bay colony. Abbott, assistant director of Delaware Center for Civics Education and past president of the MSCSS, led a presentation that helped teachers and school administrators reflect on the purpose and benefits of a healthy integration of social studies along with other subjects. He also discussed recommendations for individual teachers, school administrators and district leaders to take action toward more effective integration. MSCSS is a regional affiliate of NCSS, which includes members primarily from the District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The Institute for Public Administration is a research and public service center in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration.​

Article by Sophonie Milord. Originally posted in UDaily's For the Record​.​