The Social Studies Standards present the academic content and skills in the four interrelated disciplines of history, geography, civics/government, and economics that are essential to an understanding of human experience, past and present.

To maintain freedom, a society must rely on the knowledge, skills, and character of its citizens and those they elect to public office. An understanding of social studies is critical to the preservation and improvement of America’s representative democracy. As such, the standards include study of the rich and diverse contributions people of many backgrounds have made to American life and institutions, and at the same time, emphasize our shared heritage as citizens and residents of the United States. The standards require that students acquire both core knowledge and a firm grasp of reasoning and practice in inquiry and research; they must learn how to frame and test hypotheses, distinguish logical from illogical reasoning, frame reasoned options and arguments, and grasp reflective thinking and evaluation in each of the four disciplines.

The study of history is essential in developing citizens who understand contemporary issues with a depth and wisdom drawn from the experience of the past. Through the study of history, which integrates the humanities (such as art and literature) and the social sciences (political science, economics, and geography), students will better understand their own society as well as others. Because most United States institutions and ideals trace their origins through Europe, the study of Western civilizations is a central feature of the standards, although students are also expected to learn about the significant contributions of other non-Western civilizations. Analyzing patterns and relationships within and among world cultures such as economic competition and interdependence, age-old ethnic enmities, and political and military alliances, helps learners carefully examine policy alternatives that have both national and worldwide implications. The deep study of social studies is further informed and enlivened by considering current events and issues. Important as well, students will develop understanding of chronological thinking, the connection between causes and effects, and between continuity and change. They will see how people in other times and places have grappled with the fundamental questions of truth, justice, and personal responsibility, understand that ideas have real consequences, and realize that events are shaped both by ideas and the actions of individuals.

The goal of the geography standards is to provide an understanding of the human and physical characteristics of the Earth's places and regions, how people of different cultural backgrounds interact with their environment, and how the United States and the student's home state and community are affected by conditions and events in near and distant places. By learning to think spatially, students of geography will learn to analyze locations, places, and their myriad of relationships and they will have a framework to study local, regional, national, and global issues that concern them and their place in society. The essential skills of asking geographic questions; acquiring, presenting, and analyzing geographic information; and developing and testing geographic generalizations are central to the standards. The geographic reasoning that is represented is a way of studying human and natural features within a spatial perspective. Through geographic reasoning, students will understand the arrangement and interactions of human and physical systems on the surface of the Earth. As these patterns have changed over time and are important to governments and economies, geographic reasoning will help with students’ understanding of history, civics, and economics.

The goal of the civics standards is to develop in all students the requisite knowledge and skills for informed, responsible participation in public life. Through these standards, students will understand the foundations, principles, and institutional practices of the United States as a representative democracy and a constitutional republic. They will be aware of their rights as citizens and residents of the United States. They will understand the importance of each person as an individual, the importance of respect for the human and civil rights of all people, and our shared heritage as citizens and residents of the United States. The civics standards also reflect the need to help students develop a basic understanding of politics and government and to practice the skills of good citizenship. Students should be able to obtain, understand, and evaluate information relating to the performance of public officials. Citizenship skills are also required for competent participation in the political process. These include the capacity to influence policies and decisions by working with others, clearly articulating interests and making them known to key decision and policy makers, building coalitions, negotiating, compromising, seeking consensus, and managing conflicts.

The goal of the economics standards is to ensure that students understand economics well enough to make reasoned judgments about both personal economic questions and broader questions of economic policy. Through the standards, students will develop an economic way of thinking and problem solving in order to understand and apply basic economic principles to decisions they will make as consumers, members of the workforce, citizens, voters, and participants in a global marketplace. This type of critical thinking will prepare students to weigh not only the short-term effects of a decision, but also its long-term effects and possible unintended consequences. They will understand that because resources are scarce relative to wants, individuals and society must choose how to allocate goods and services among competing uses. Students will also understand that these choices and trade-offs significantly affect the quality of people's lives and explain historical developments and patterns, the results of trade, and the distribution of income and wealth in local, regional, national, and world economies. Understanding the process and components of economic reasoning also will provide a vital framework within which to analyze current issues and public policies, and to understand the complex relationships among economic, political, and cultural systems.