This study attempts to gain some level of national understanding of what exactly is going on with social studies in elementary and middle schools. It focuses upon public elementary and middle schools, the educational institutions where formal history and civic education allegedly begins. A nationally representative telephone survey of 1,051 randomly selected second-, fifth-, and eighth-grade social studies teachers was conducted through the University of Connecticut's Center for Survey Research and Analysis. The results of the survey show that, among others, schools place less importance on social studies than most other subjects, teachers in two of the three grades surveyed (second, fifth) spend little classroom time on social studies, and acceptance of cultural diversity was rated the most important reason for teaching social studies than learning about American heroes. The findings of the survey are discussed in this article. (Contains 3 tables and 2 notes.)