Social studies teachers have often been on the outside looking in during much of the era billed as the standards-based educational reform (SBER), but with the adoption and implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), social studies teachers seem to have been invited back inside. Yet, how will the standards impact social studies teachers' instructional practices? The article attempts to address those issues, while also briefly describing the history of the SBER, and the state of social studies education.