Conference papers reviewing the role of decision making in social studies education since 1960 are presented. The focus of the discussion was a paper by Shirley Engle published in 1960 entitled "Decision Making: The Heart of Social Studies Instruction." The first part of the booklet contains the text of that paper. Engle maintained that the purpose of social studies is education for citizenship, which requires that students know how to make decisions, not just to memorize facts. Engle called for an emphasis on teaching decision making based on values formation in each student. The remainder of the booklet contains three presentations reviewing the progress of Engle's ideas through 1977. C. Benjamin Cox reviews the history of efforts to incorporate values instruction throughout thg 1960s. The complexity of teaching problem solving and decision making based upon the conceptualization of social scientific knowledge prevented successful realization of Engle's goal. Wilma S. Longstreet describes how social studies educators have failed to teach students to act with rational awareness in the midst of a complex and changing social environment. Jan L. Tucker explains that the ill-defined nature of social studies and an increasing pessimism about formal schooling have limited the development of public support for the social studies. Despite the slow progress of the discipline, it is encouraging that social studies educators are continuing to search for ways to incorporate decision making and values into the curriculum. (Author/AV)