This article urges historians to become more familiar with a growing body of research examining the historical knowledge of students at the secondary and elementary school levels. Providing an overview of this research, Barton outlines that from a young age students have been found to think of themselves as historically knowledgeable and aware. For example, even at the elementary levels, students can correctly arrange chronological images. Much of this knowledge is gathered from sources outside the classroom including interactions with relatives, museums, historic sites or media. Barton argues that prevalent stereotypes of young people as ignorant or apathetic stem from differences in what students know and what educators think they should know. He concludes that educators must build on what students already know by starting historical inquiries with attention to how people lived in the past, and then helping students to understand the broader developments that shaped their lives. This includes expanding student’s understandings of politics, society and the economy to recognize how these forces affect people’s lives.