AMY FITCHETT: Teachers as gatekeepers: Developing deeper understandings to cultivate pro-social studies learning environments in the elementary grades. (Under the direction of DR.TRACY ROCK) Teacher instructional decision-making is a multi-dimensional and varied process that affects the learning of students in intermediate elementary social studies classrooms. The researcher used a phenomenological case study approach to further develop understanding of this complex process. Using Opportunity to Learn descriptors and a Policy Analytic framework, the author analyzed the intersection of individual teacher capability and policies enacted at the federal, state, and building level within the unique context of a charter school.