Dr. Duck received a Bachelor of Arts with honors in history and a minor in music from William and Mary in 1966. At the University of Virginia he completed a Master of Arts in teaching (1968) and a Ph.D. in social studies education (1974), with history of education and U.S. Intellectual history as supporting fields of study. While teaching history for five years in an urban public high school, he became interested in the preparation of effective teachers. During the doctoral program he served as a graduate instructor and completed dissertation research on changes in pre-service teachers' attitudes as they progressed through methods courses and internship experiences.

Duck was appointed to the Mason faculty in the Fall of 1973. He has authored two textbooks—Teaching with Charisma (Allyn & Bacon, 1981; Chatelaine Press, 1994) and Understanding American Education: Its Past, Practices, and Promise (Chatelaine Press, 1996)--and articles about Bronson Alcott as nineteenth century educational reformer, the history of moral education, and religious freedom issues. He co-authored, with Judith Jacobs, Enterprise Is America, a multi-media curriculum unit on economics education. He has served as Coordinator for Secondary Teacher Education at Mason (1984 - 1994), member and chair of the National Council for the Social Studies' Religion in the Schools Committee, vice president of the Virginia Educational Studies Association, member of the advisory board for First Liberty Institute, consultant to Freedom Forum's First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University, advisory board member for Dushkin/McGraw-Hill's Annual Editions in Education, and editorial advisory board member for the journal, Religion and Education. His current research interests include the impact of religious freedom issues on curricula, the history of moral education, how Bronson Alcott's beliefs and practices relate to current character education models based on the "just community" concept, and reflective practice in teacher education. A recent sample publication in the last category is “The Ongoing Professional Journey,” Educational Leadership 57:8, May 2000, pp. 42-25.

• Impact of religious freedom issues on curricula
• History of moral education
• How practices of Bronson Alcott compare to current models of character education
• Reflective practice in teacher education

• Understanding American Education: Its Practices, Past, and Promise. Burke, VA: Chatelaine Press, 1996. 439 pp.
• “The Creation vs. Evolution Debate: What Do Social Studies Teachers Need to Know?” Religion and Public Education 21:1, Spring 1994, pp.21-27. Reprinted in Fred Schultz, ed., Annual Editions: Education 97/98. Guilford, CT: Dushkin/McGraw-Hill, 1997. pp. 127-132.
• “Moral Education: Hard Choices on the Way to a New Consensus”, Religion and Public Education 23:2, Fall 1996, pp. 39-49. Reprinted in Fred Schultz, ed., Annual Editions: Education 99/00. Guilford, CT: Dushkin/McGraw-Hill, 1999. pp. 94-102. Reprinted in Fred Schultz, ed., Annual Editions: Education 00/01. Guilford, CT: Dushkin/McGraw-Hill, 2000. pp. 95-103.
• “The Ongoing Professional Journey,” Educational Leadership 57:8, May 2000, pp. 42-45.

• Graduate School of Education
• Secondary Education 6-12

• Foundations of Secondary Education (EDUC - 422)
• Teaching Social Studies in the Secondary School (EDCI - 567)
• Introduction to Secondary Education (EDUC - 522)
• Introduction to Secondary Education (EDUC - 522)

• Schools and Culture (EDUC - 671)