This paper reviews what some leading critics of public schools say about social studies curriculum and suggests implications of the growing "free schools" movement. The social studies have been charged with the socialization of children into the existing majority culture, and with teaching the knowledge and skills required for effective citizenship. Critics claim that in carrying out these charges, schools have actually deepened divisions within the society and alienated students from the culture. The "new social studies" have emphasized the ideas and methodologies of social science or have emphasized valuing skills on public issues. Free schools depart from both the older and the newer objectives. They emphasize the immediate needs and experience of the child with the goal of his self actualization. With selective enrollment in "free schools", the homogenizing effect of public school social studies will be absent. Wider variations in values can be expected. The existence of alternatives creates a pressure on public school social studies curriculum to become more present-oriented, more personalized, and more individualized. (NH)