ISSUES, an intermediate-grade social studies program, actively involves 2,000 Kansas City students of their urban communities. Psychological and sociological perspectives on urban problems stress helping children to better understand social realities, their peers, and themselves. The students spend approximately half of their social studies time outside of the classroom investigating topics of their own choice. Indoor activities include reading and writing to record facts and create impressions, verbal interaction in discussion groups, activity planning, and listening to speakers. Students use instamatic and movie cameras to document their investigations. Student surveys of community characteristics such as neighborhood street lights and numbers of occupants per dwellings create spinoff community activities that are improving neighborhoods. Support for teachers participating in the program includes workshops, teacher-student curriculum materials, and in-school consultants services. Evaluation of the program indicates not only greater social awareness on the part of the students but also greater confidence and personal interest in the community around them. (JH)