A guide to understanding the curriculum from nursery school through senior high school, the Handbook addresses, in 34 chapters, methodological and conceptual issues dealing with how curricular matters are thought about and studied; the forces that shape the curriculum, from the most global to the most individual; the curriculum as a shaping force, i.e. its impact on special groups of students as well as its influence in general; and curricular issues having to do with the conventional subject areas, such as math, science, social studies, and foreign languages. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.