Oswego SD308 Board of Education OKs new high school social studies textbooks for $369,000

OSWEGO – Oswego SD308 will introduce three new social studies textbooks for high school students starting with the 2023-24 academic year.

The Oswego School Board on April 11 approved the purchase of the new texts, in digital and print versions, for nearly $369,000.

The texts are designed to support classroom instruction for required high school courses in geography, civics and history.

Dan Arntzen, executive director of high school instruction and K-12 assessments, said the civics and history textbooks now used by students were published in 2004 and are in need of replacement.

One of the new textbooks, Contemporary Human Geography, will be used for a new one-semester freshman course on the subject, replacing a modern world history class.

The other books, United States History and United States Government & Civics, will become the new resources for those two courses, year-long classes which students may take in their sophomore, junior or senior years.

Arntzen said the civics textbook was selected in part because information on state government is “embedded” in every chapter of the book.

The new textbooks are written to attract students to the material through their own natural curiosity, Arntzen said.

Delivery of the books is expected in May, in time for teachers to familiarize themselves with the material ahead of next school year’s start.