The creation of a National Commission for the Social Studies offers an extraordinary opportunity to reconsider the mission of social studies education and move in new directions. Defining what the social studies field should be will help to answer the question of what should be taught. Questions of what children can learn in the elementary school years and what they need to know in order to form a sound foundation need to be addressed. A suggested sequence for grades seven through twelve might include: (1) grade 7 (geography); (2) grades 8, 9, and 10 (U.S. history and world history studied over a three-year period but with flexible scheduling of class meetings); (3) grade 11 (U.S. government and economics); and (4) grade 12 (U.S. problems and electives). More time and materials are needed by teachers in order to prepare and implement better instructional strategies. Other issues that also need to be confronted by the Commission include: (1) teacher education; (2) the responsibility of academic disciplines in explicating themes, topics, concepts, and generalization of their disciplines; and (3) providing students with opportunities to apply knowledge to "real life" experiences within the school and community. (SM)