In the last decade there has been a whirlwind of change in policies affecting social studies education. Among the most noteworthy changes have been a national commission on social studies, subject-centered national standards, statewide high-stakes testing, school restructuring, and performance assessment. All of these changes have ramifications for method, the effective direction of subject matter to desired results. This paper suggests four ways in which social studies researchers could inform and challenge policymaking. The paper focuses on the growing centralization of curriculum decision making and associated high-stakes tests that has come to the forefront since the advent of national standards. Contains 15 references. (BT)