ABSTRACT
The larger pattern is one of educational innovation or reform, followed by controversy, which usually results in a significant decline or end to reform. Controversy often begins with one parent’s concern over a textbook or ancillary materials, then spreads when that parent’s apprehension resonates with other parents and anxious interest groups. Several factors within the broader arena of schooling have influence on the curriculum: the context of schooling, the state of the economy, wars, national obsessions, fears, and phobias. Any or all of these contextual influences can determine the direction of the curriculum and impact which particular interest group has the most influence at a particular time. The beliefs and ideas of educators are a key starting point in attempts to change or improve the curriculum. Schools and the curriculum have been deeply influenced by fear, by threats external and internal, real and imagined.
