Thinking Nation will transform social studies education by making high quality, data-driven assessments available in every classroom. Our assessments empower students with the skills and dispositions necessary for civic and economic flourishing. We integrate generative AI to support teachers’ ability to provide qualitative feedback to students, effectively track student growth over various content areas, and promote educator collaboration. Further, a focus on skills attainment helps students recognize the relevance of these skills across subjects.

Thinking Nation has utilized disciplinary-focused, assessments for 4 years at partner schools around the country, collectively serving 35,000+ students. Feedback from teachers and students reveals:

These assessments facilitate rich discussion in the classroom around historical evidence and reasoning.
That despite their rigor, they are less intimidating to students due to length and structure.
Teachers harness the assessment data to both inform their own instruction and collaborate with their colleagues
Students are more likely to participate in class discussions by taking their learning into their own hands because of the assessment structure

When soliciting feedback from stakeholders outside of our partner network, we’ve learned:

Administrators don’t always prioritize funding for resources outside of ELA and STEM, leaving social studies teachers unable to implement similar inquiry-based instruction
Teachers are craving more alignment in their departments, but also want to maintain autonomy within the content they teach
Students need more scaffolded opportunities to practice deep thinking in social studies classrooms

A survey and ensuing white paper we commissioned of Secondary Educators and Stakeholders through EdWeek revealed:

Less than 1 in 3 respondents reported a lot of alignment or complete alignment in social studies their district or school.
Only 1 in 10 social studies classes use inquiry-based instruction daily

With your support, Thinking Nation will make our materials and assessments open access, available to every classroom in the world, fostering a shift in how success is measured and empowering the next generation to thrive in a changing society.

Thinking Nation Expanding Access and Impact

Creating open access to Thinking Nation to classrooms across the country.

Team Members