Abstract A basic purpose of the paper was to consider several major areas in which cognition research would seem to have implications for the conscious design of social studies texts, and to sketch the ways in which the structure of texts might be shaped if research were applied. Some of the more salient findings from cognition research were reviewed under four headings: information processing styles, developmental differences, retention of key material, and instructional principles. Illustrative implications of these findings for the design of social studies textbooks were presented, along with suggestions for how existing texts could be modified. A basic purpose of the paper was to consider several major areas in which cognition research would seem to have implications for the conscious design of social studies texts, and to sketch the ways in which the structure of texts might be shaped if research were applied. Some of the more salient findings from cognition research were reviewed under four headings: information processing styles, developmental differences, retention of key material, and instructional principles. Illustrative implications of these findings for the design of social studies textbooks were presented, along with suggestions for how existing texts could be modified. An ethnographic study of teacher-student interaction in the classrooms of high school teachers with sex role ideologies classified as Traditional, Androgynous, and Mixed resulted in unanticipated findings of sexuality as an apparently unconscious element in teacher behavior. The expressions of sexuality appear to be related to the sex role ideology subscribed to by the teachers. An attempt is made to analyze components of sexual expression and to point out the lack of attention in the literature to this aspect of teacher personality. Finally, the implications for social studies education are stressed. The paper presents a comprehensive evaluation model which was designed for a social studies improvement project in a large school system. The model involved three components: reviewing preconditions, evaluating process and product, and judging project efficiency. Within each component, the ideal procedures selected for obtaining information is presented followed by the actual procedures used in a specific case. The case study illustrates the real world constraints on an ideal project evaluation plan, and the decision-making process used to formulate the actual evaluation plan. The authors include reflections on their experience in making decisions with the project evaluation and offer recommendations for evaluation of social studies projects.