Uses the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, as a touchstone for the importance and value of including place-based education in the social studies curriculum. Whitlock scrutinizes this local environmental issue to not only drive critical inquiry in the classroom, but also to show how the curriculum can propel valuable social change in the community.

Contents Foreword  xiii Preface  xv Introduction: How Did We Get Here?  1 When Did the Water Crisis Start?  3 Piecing It Together  5 When Everyone Learned About Flint  7 Dealing With It  9 Social Studies and Critical Place-Based Education  10 Are We Finished Yet?  11 Part I: How Can Schools Respond to a Community’s Needs? 1.  A History of Innovative Education in Flint  15 Manley and Mott: The Brains and the Bank  16 Flint as the Leader in Community Schools  16 Schools and Society  18 Looking Back to Look Ahead  19 Learning From Flint: Critical Place Historical Inquiry in the Classroom  20 2.  Why Flint? Teaching Conditions Amidst the Water Crisis  23 The “Preloaded Distributional Injustices” of Flint  24 Built With the Community in Mind  26 Beyond “Normal”: Teaching at Freeman  27 Learning From Flint: Critical Place Inquiry in Geography  30 3.  An Uncertain Future for Education in Flint  33 Community Schools Today  34 Integrated Student Supports  35 Extended Learning Time and Opportunities  38 Family and Community Engagement  39 Collaborative Leadership and Practices  41 Learning From Flint: Place-Based School Improvement  43 Part II: How Can Schooling be Reimagined to Center “Place”? 4.  Designing Early Childhood Education in Flint  47 Early Childhood Education and Lead Poisoning  48 Childcare in Formal Settings  52 Using Human-Centered Design to Respond to Early Childhood Needs  54 Learning From Flint: Designing Place-Based Education  57 5.  Reggio-Inspired Education in Flint  59 Reggio Emilia as Place-Based Education  60 Building Place-Consciousness in a Reggio Toddler Classroom  62 Preschoolers’ Narratives of Flint  67 Understanding Reggio as Social Studies Inquiry  71 Learning From Flint: A Call to Research and Practice  73 6.  Montessori for Flint  77 Montessori’s Connections to Place-Based Education  78 The Benefits of a Public Montessori Education  79 Challenges for Public Montessori  81 Montessori for Flint  83 Learning From Flint: Incorporating Montessori Elements  86 7.  Flint’s Place-Based Charter School  89 School of Choice in Flint  91 Flint Cultural Center: A Longtime Gem  92 Flint Cultural Center Academy  93 A Day at the Flint Cultural Center Academy  95 Learning From Flint: Schoolwide Place-Based Education  98 Part III: How Can Teacher Preparation Be Place-Based? 8.  Place-Based Teacher Education in Flint  103 Place-Based Teacher Education  105 Uniquely Flint  107 Co-Teaching  110 School Culture Shock  112 Partnering With Beecher Community Schools  114 PBTE and Water Crisis Connections  116 Learning From Flint: Literally  118 9.  Place-Based Social Studies Methods in Flint  121 Place-Based Social Studies Methods  122 Elementary Social Studies Methods in Flint  124 Field Trips  127 Right Under Our Noses  130 Teaching Critical Geography  133 Learning From Flint: Transforming Into Place-Based Teachers  134 Part IV: Where Do We Go From Here? 10.  What I Learned From Flint  139 What I Learned About Flint  140 What I Learned From Flint About Place-Based Education in Social Studies  142 What I Learned From Flint About Myself  143 Conclusion  144 References  145 Index  157 About the Author  167

“Place-Based Social Studies Education: Learning From Flint, Michigan is a practical and accessible, yet complexly insightful read. Whether you are a social studies teacher, teacher educator, place-based/community-based instructor, history buff, social justice champion, or Flintstone, this book is for you.” —From the Foreword by Mona Munroe-Younis, executive director, Environmental Transformation Movement of Flint