text: Good question.  I think alot of it has to do with the standardized tests that are focused mostly on math and language arts.  In the school where I teach, the 5th grade teachers have to choose whether they are going to teach science or social studies on a day-to-day basis.  We've become fixated on bringing up test scores in math and reading (thanks to No Child Left Behind), that the rest of it has to take a back seat.