Ralph Nader Hour – November 30, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of the Ralph Nader Radio Hour is a two-part exploration of the state of social studies and civics education in America, followed by an interview with environmental justice legend Lois Gibbs. The first half features a discussion with Dr. Tina Ellsworth (President, National Council for the Social Studies) and Kelly Stratman (Executive Director, NCSS), delving into the significance of social studies in maintaining democracy, challenges the field faces in the era of STEM and standardized testing, and highlights their upcoming national convention. The second half profiles Lois Gibbs’ pioneering activism at Love Canal and discusses the ongoing grassroots fight for environmental health and justice.

Segment 1: The Vital Role of Social Studies Education

[01:15–22:27]

The State and Value of Social Studies

• Social Studies as Foundation

  • Ralph, Steve, and David introduce Dr. Tina Ellsworth and Kelly Stratman and set the context: NCSS’ upcoming annual conference in Washington, DC, December 5-7, 2025.
  • Social studies is described as an umbrella for history, geography, sociology, law, civics, and more—a “backbone to a great education.”
    • Kelly Stratman [05:00]: “Social studies is a really exciting discipline... It includes history, geography, sociology, law, related education, civics, and so much more... allowing students to really feel empowered to dig into their communities.”

• Marginalization in the STEM Era

  • Ralph highlights how education policy and public focus have prioritized STEM, often sidelining “the why” in favor of “the how.”
    • Ralph Nader [05:29]: “The social studies ask the question why? Much more fundamental... these tools are wisely used—or at times not used at all.”
  • Dr. Ellsworth and Stratman explain how social studies fosters critical thinking, civic reasoning, media literacy, and ethical decision-making—skills vital for democracy and society.

• Impact of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Teacher Shortage

  • Dr. Tina Ellsworth [06:27]: “A lot of these issues are rooted in No Child Left Behind...focused on ELA and math...It caused [social studies] to be undervalued significantly.”
  • Despite challenges, there are budding efforts to integrate data science and social studies, and pre-service teachers remain passionately committed.

• Student Perspectives on Social Studies

  • NCSS survey: 50,000 students say social studies most builds forming opinions, supporting arguments, critical thinking, reading comprehension, and writing skills.
    • Kelly Stratman [08:53]: “The social studies allow students to really explore and expand and develop those muscles that they need for all aspects of their life.”

Teaching with Primary Sources and Relevance to Today

• The Power of Primary Sources
  • Ralph reminisces about effective social studies instruction and laments sterile STEM classes that lack community relevance.
  • Dr. Ellsworth [11:46]: Defines primary sources as “raw artifacts of history...created at the time under study,” and details how analyzing them builds transferable critical skills, especially in a digital world rife with misinformation.
    • “By teaching students how to critically analyze sources from the past, then they can also transfer those into the future as well...to determine the trustworthiness of that item...” ([12:38])

Civic Education: Challenges & Opportunities

• Decline and Dullness in Civics Instruction

  • Ralph describes the state of civic education as often “numbingly dull” and divorced from real community interaction—a stance echoed by the guests.
    • Ralph Nader [13:16]: “Some of the civic textbooks...invite memorization, regurgitation, and then result in vegetation.”
  • NCSS advocates for project-based learning, current-events discussions, and civic seals that recognize active student engagement.
    • Kelly Stratman [14:10]: “We at NCSS have been advocating...for what we call civic seals, which are a tangible symbol of the value of comprehensive and research based civics education practices in schools.”

• Fear of Teaching Civics and Activism

  • Dr. Ellsworth [16:14]: “Teachers right now are a little bit fearful about teaching anything that is focused on civics. They're uncertain about where the project could go...Even sometimes members of the public may say, ‘Oh, you’re turning students into activists.’ As if having students engage in their community to make it better is something that’s bad.”
  • She emphasizes the need to reclaim the narrative: “I think we need to...help connect better the parents and the people in the community with the school and with the kids...Now’s a really great time with America 250...” ([18:52])

Inclusion and Conference Details

• Dr. Ellsworth [20:25]: “Anybody who’s interested...is certainly welcome to be there...It’s a great place to [improve civic education and history education].”
  • Event registration: socialstudies.org

Segment 2: Upcoming National Council for the Social Studies Convention

[20:59–22:27]

Why Cover This Conference?

• Kelly Stratman [21:22]: “More than 3,000 educators and others who support social studies education gathered together in community. We have an amazing lineup of keynote speakers...curated a schedule of over 500 learning sessions...events in conjunction with the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress...even a Hill Day on Capitol Hill...we hope to be a really uplifting and joyful few days.”

Segment 3: Democracy in Crisis & Engaging Youth

[22:27–28:56]

Responding to Democratic Crisis

• Ralph discusses the unprecedented political/historical moment—referencing threats to democracy and the essential role of civic resurgence (including Congressional activism).

  • Ralph Nader [22:27]: “We can’t ignore it, and we have to lay the basis for a civic resurgence. As I’ve said, it never takes more than 1% of the active citizens in congressional districts...to prevail, to win against corporations and other special interests.”

• Inspiring Cynical and Disengaged Youth

  • Dr. Ellsworth [24:27]: “That inspiration starts with the teachers...Social studies teachers are the guardians of democracy...We believe that when we act as independent agents in a democracy, we too can contribute to making this better.”
  • Teachers’ hope and engagement are contagious—when teachers are engaged, students are more likely to be, too.

Overcoming the “Teach to the Test” Mentality

• Ralph and Dr. Ellsworth discuss rigid curriculum and standardized testing’s impact on civics.
  • Ralph Nader [25:41]: “For that to happen, teachers have to have more spontaneity...the spontaneous nature of teachers that I remember the most.”
  • Dr. Ellsworth highlights state-level movements toward skills-based standards and inquiry/lived assessments as a countertrend.

The Role of Parents, Communities, and Civic Groups

• Community groups and PTAs are less active than in earlier decades.
  • Kelly Stratman [28:56]: “Community organizations...have been facing decline. Robert Putnam...shows that decline across community groups, whether it’s church groups, civic groups, PTAs...Still active but a different time and a different space.”
• Voter turnout in local elections is shockingly low, despite their centrality to education politics.

Segment 4: Children, Media, and Corporate Influence

[31:10–33:53]

• Ralph raises concern about how technology and corporations shape children’s reality—sometimes more than families or schools.
  • Ralph Nader [31:10]: “Now they are so prevalent and so penetrating of these children’s lives...led a prominent child psychologist at Harvard, Susan Wynne, to write a book, ‘Who’s Raising Our Kids?’ One of the subtitle answers was corporations.”
• Kelly Stratman [32:34]: “This is why we are such strong advocates for this inquiry-based approach. It gives students the tools they need...Not just take things that are given to them and just walk away without questioning it.”

Segment 5: Interview with Lois Gibbs—Grassroots Environmental Justice

[36:32–56:41]

The Love Canal Story & Civic Power

• Ralph introduces Lois Gibbs, recounting Love Canal as a defining example of grassroots democracy (833 homes evacuated due to toxic waste).

• Lois reflects on being a woman in a male-dominated, elitist environmental movement.

  • Lois Gibbs [39:57]: “It was incredibly exciting...And that movement is not dead yet...People learned how to fight this battle not from a book, not from television, but from the seat of their pants.”

• The Power of Ordinary People

  • The environmental health movement is rooted in grassroots efforts, not top-down policymaking.
  • “If the people decide that change is needed and they gather together and they organize around it...they can create that change.” ([39:57])

Tools, Resources, and “Toxic Tuesdays”

• CHEJ’s Toxic Tuesday newsletter explains common chemicals in accessible language and how to respond to toxic disasters; all resources are free and practical.
  • Lois Gibbs [45:21]: “Toxic Tuesday...takes common chemicals that everybody says is perfectly safe, and it explains to the regular everyday person how toxic that chemical really is...”

The Human Cost & Structural Violence

• Lois recounts heartbreaking stories of parental loss and children poisoned by environmental negligence; rails against the injustice of legal “licenses to kill.”
  • Lois Gibbs [47:59]: “When you’re sitting in the living room with a mom who said, my children were born normal...then at three years old...they were exposed to mercury...now severely retarded…Who has a right to do that?”
  • “The permitting process is essentially giving corporate America the license to kill.”
• Ralph Nader [51:39]: “Corporations emit silent violence...silent death…The death certificate will say, well, this child died from cancer, but basically this child died from Dupont.”

Movement-Building and Succession

• Lois outlines plans for CHEJ’s future and the importance of decentralized, grassroots organizing hubs beyond her own retirement.
  • Lois Gibbs [52:25]: “CAJ was going to build a movement...not to build an office with 15 people and do a top down kind of organizing, but build and train hubs of people all across the country…”

Call to Action Against Environmental Rollbacks

• Lois and Ralph warn of the Trump administration’s attacks on environmental regulations (“the worst ever”); urge citizens to contact representatives.
  • Ralph Nader [55:36]: “He’s telling the auto companies they can start polluting more...It’s the worst ever, in my judgment, in terms of protecting people...from the silent, deadly violence of toxics...”

CHEJ Website

• Resource for free guides and organizing tips: chej.org
• Lois Gibbs [56:23]: “The website where people can connect is C H E J and we’d love for you to connect with us.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ralph Nader on STEM vs. Social Studies [05:29]:

  “The social studies ask the question why? Much more fundamental, much more portentous in order to make sure that these tools are wisely used or at times not used at all.”

• Dr. Tina Ellsworth on Primary Sources [11:46]:

  “Primary sources are the raw artifacts of history...teaching students how to analyze those different pieces, also to consider the context in which they were created, the bias of the creator of the artifact...”

• Kelly Stratman on Civic Engagement [14:10]:

  “There are some great examples out there of community and school partnerships...the League of Women Voters...and Tina can speak to her role at the university level where university professors can help...provide professional development to teachers…”

• Lois Gibbs on Grassroots Power [39:57]:

  “If the people decide that change is needed and they gather together and they organize around it, it doesn't matter whether Democrats or Republicans are in office...They can create that change.”

• Lois Gibbs on Corporate Pollution [47:59]:

  “The permitting process is essentially giving corporate America the license to kill. Now they say it only kills one in a million people per stack, per stack, but we know that it kills many more.”

Key Timestamps

• 01:15 – Show theme introduction
• 05:00 – Definition and purpose of social studies
• 06:27 – Impact of NCLB; undervaluing social studies
• 11:46 – Teaching with primary sources
• 13:16 – State of civic education
• 14:10 – NCSS advocacy for Civic Seals
• 20:25 – Conference access and registration info (socialstudies.org)
• 21:22 – Why the NCSS convention matters
• 22:27 – Civic crisis and youth engagement
• 24:27 – Teachers as inspirational civic role models
• 25:41 – Need for spontaneity in teaching; “Teach to the test”
• 28:56 – State of PTAs and civic groups
• 31:10 – Corporate influence on children’s reality
• 32:34 – The role of inquiry-based social studies
• 36:32 – Introduction of Lois Gibbs and Love Canal
• 45:21 – CHEJ’s “Toxic Tuesday” and citizen tools
• 47:59 – Stories of environmental harm
• 52:25 – Movement-building, CHEJ’s decentralized model
• 55:36 – Urging civic action against environmental deregulation
• 56:23 – CHEJ website and call to connect (chej.org)

Tone & Language

The tone throughout is passionate, urgent, and pragmatic—reflecting the seriousness of threats to democracy and environment but also exuding hope in citizen action and teacher inspiration. The episode centers lived experience, moral clarity, and the value of questioning, inquiry, and engagement.

For further details, resources, or to become involved, visit:

• National Council for the Social Studies: socialstudies.org
• Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ): chej.org

Conference Theme: Because democracy depends on it.