If i had to give an answer, I would say no. However, there is something else that is widely mentioned regarding this topic: integration. This seems to be one of the most effective solutions to this lack of social studies issue. If teachers can find a way integrate social studies across other content areas, then this issue is somewhat solved. Chapter 1 of Young Citizens of the World: Teaching Elementary Social Studies Through Civic Engagement disagrees, and states that integration undermines both content areas involved, and it is better to do it separately altogether. However, I believe that integration is better than nothing, and that this is the most realistic approach.
Walking into my 4th grade elementary classroom internship, I was delighted to see that the schedule included a time for social studies every day. This was not the case for my previous classroom, so I was intrigued to see how it would play out. I began to realize that though my CT planned to have these times available for social studies, it often ended up being dominated by Math or Science. However, it seems that she is utilizing the integration approach. For example, students were able to connect Science and Social studies, as well as work on their geography maps when they were finished with their assigned work. Though this is not ideal, it is still an effort made to expose students to it. As I continue at my internship, I am curious to see if this is what the average classroom would look like, or is there more that we can do?