A Decade of the C3 Framework: How Wide is Its Reach?

This paper describes elementary teachers’ self-reported instructional practices regarding their familiarity with and implementation of inquiry-based instruction, including the C3 Framework. This mixed-methods analysis of a survey administered to 765 elementary teachers in Michigan captures what is happening in elementary social studies a decade after the C3 Framework introduced the “inquiry arc” to the field. Teachers reported a wide range of familiarity with inquiry, from not knowing what it is, to equating inquiry with projects and/or questions. Very few respondents knew of the C3 Framework, indicating a gap in understanding of the field as to the reach of the C3.