ABSTRACT
In brief commentary, this chapter examines the purposes that stakeholder groups bring to social studies. It first looks at policymakers and the general public, two groups often thought to be at odds over purposes. And suggests their divergences frequently arise as much from idiosyncratic situations of concern to one or more pressure groups as from broad-based disagreement about aims among the public at large. Episodes of conflict attract more attention that are possibly less vivid but nonetheless are significant norms of life in school social studies department offices and classrooms. The chapter considers research-based policy explanations and solutions to the "dilemma" of disparate aims. Policymaking entities include such disparate groups as curriculum commissions, federal and state departments of education, and school boards and curriculum directors at the local level. The reality is that policymakers set broad parameters for the purposes and content of social studies programs, not script the curriculum itself.
