All over the world, schools are tasked with the objective of preparing young adults to be contributing members of society. Perhaps no other content area is as important in this task than the field of social studies. Unfortunately, social studies continue to be a marginalized field in the United States. This article seeks to explore the dynamics of new efforts in the U.S. to standardize social studies content through the ubiquitous Common Core State Standards. These standards have been adopted by several states in the U.S. and have wide reaching implications on social studies instruction. We will examine the literature to offer insights into the strengths and limitations of standardizing social studies instruction and how contemporary teachers can adjust their methods to meet the challenges of new standards.