SILVER SPRING, Md., Dec. 1 (AScribe Newswire) -- Neal Schultz, a social studies teacher in the New Rochelle High School, New Rochelle, N.Y., will receive the 2006 National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Award for Global Understanding given in honor of James M. Becker at the 86th Annual NCSS conference at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., Dec. 1-3. The award will be presented at the NCSS Awards Reception sponsored by USA Today on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 5:30 p.m. at the Renaissance Washington Hotel. Schultz will be honored with an award of $2,000, and public recognition during the conference, which is the largest gathering of social studies educators in the nation. Funding from the Longview Foundation sponsors the monetary award.
The Award for Global Understanding recognizes an outstanding social studies educator, or a team of educators, who have made notable contributions in helping social studies students increase their understanding of the world. The award is named in honor of James M. Becker, who was instrumental in the early development of the global education and is often referred to as its father.
During the NCSS conference, Schultz will present a session titled "The Great Stories of World History and Global Understanding," on Friday, Dec. 1, from 4:45 to 5:45 p.m. in the Washington Convention Center, room 101. He will present stories, advice, role-playing lessons, and the historical tidbits that can not only electrify students, but also start them on the road to becoming global citizens.
"If the mission of social studies is to foster active citizenship among our students, then Neal has expanded the parameters to include 'in an interdependent global community,'" said Steven A. Goldberg, chair of the New Rochelle High School Department of Social Studies and president of the Westchester Council for the Social Studies.
"The theme of being proactive instead of the bystander is emphasized both in Neal's classroom and in the way he chooses to live his life," said Goldberg.
Through his own actions, Neal models what he wants his students to strive for. A longtime member of Amnesty International, Schulz has written letters on behalf of Guatemalan human rights victims. He has volunteered at a community soup kitchen, and has organized several projects to raise both awareness and money for Darfur. During the summer of 1999, he worked in Germany in a refugee camp for Albanian Kosvars. This year, Schultz's interdisciplinary team of teachers and their 10th grade students raised more than $5,000 for the Heifer Project. (Heifer International is a community development organization that provides families in underdeveloped countries with animals to produce food and income.)
Schultz is an outstanding global educator because he has a comprehensive knowledge of the latest scholarship in global history, global studies, and economic history, he incorporates primacy sources in his classes, he encourages knowledge of current events as a lens through which to view the past, and he incorporates the latest technology into his teaching.
Schultz's impact goes far beyond the classroom. He is a frequent presenter at national, state, and local social studies meetings. He also serves as a consultant to other schools on curriculum development, and is a teacher trainer who conducts workshops across New York State.
At New Rochelle High School, Schultz originated the advanced placement world history, and Facing History and Ourselves courses and has taught every level of global history and geography. Schultz began his career as a newspaper reporter on The Concord Monitor in Concord N.H. He reported on the 1988 presidential primary in New Hampshire, as well as covering education, business, and science. He then became a consultant with the Pacific Ridge School in San Diego, Calif., he co-wrote goals, curriculum and assessments for world history at one of the nation's first schools dedicated to global ethical education.
A prolific author, Schultz has written a number of articles and books on social studies topics with an emphasis on global education issues. Most recently in 2006, 10 years after the end of Apartheid, Schultz and his wife shot a documentary looking at how race and AIDS shaped the education of a black father and son in a remote South African town.
Schultz has been honored with a number of awards for his exemplary teaching abilities. These honors include: his selection in 1998 as a Mandel Fellow at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and receiving the Louis E. Yavner Teaching Award from the New York State Board of Regents in 2002
Schultz earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in history, graduating Magna Cum Laude from Vassar College. He earned his Masters of Science Degree in Teaching from Pace University in Westchester, and another Masters Degree in Education Administration from the College of New Rochelle.
The Longview Foundation was founded in 1966 to help elementary and secondary students, teachers, and teacher educators in the United States develop the knowledge, attitudes, values, and skills for responsible citizenship in a complex, interdependent world. Foundation grants are made for education programs and projects that foster a global perspective and promote learning about world regions, cultures, international affairs, and global issues in K-12 and teacher education in the United States.
Over 4,000 social studies professionals are expected to attend the 2006 NCSS Annual Conference in Washington. This year's central theme will be Social Studies: Promise and Practice. For further information. visit the NCSS website at http://www.socialstudies.org .
Founded in 1921, the National Council for Social Studies has grown into the largest association in the country for social studies professionals, with 25,000 members in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and 69 foreign countries. Membership includes K-16 classroom teachers, curriculum supervisors and specialists, curriculum writers and designers, and teacher educators. The NCSS serves as an umbrella organization for K-16 teachers of civics, history, geography, economics, political science, sociology, psychology, anthropology, and law-related education. Social Studies is the integrated study of social sciences and humanities to promote civic confidence. Visit the NCSS website at http://www.socialstudies.org .
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CONTACT: Ana Post, NCSS Communications, 301-588-1800 x114. apost@ncss.org
NOTE TO EDITORS: The NCSS Conference Media Center is located in the Washington Convention Center Nov. 30 - Dec. 3. Media registration is available on site during the conference at the conference registration desk. Media badges allow free access to all sessions, workshops, events, and social functions not requiring tickets or special invitation.
Media Contact: See above.
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