A thorough exploration of the historical, philosophical, psychological, and social context for the field of curriculum, Curriculum: Foundations, Principles, and Issues addresses the curriculum process  and issues that influence it and encourages readers to consider how new thinking impacts curriculum deliberation, development, and implementation.

A more concise Fifth Edition provides both the student and the professor of curriculum with a comprehensive treatment of the field: curriculum foundations as well as the principles and procedures for conceptualizing, developing, implementing, and evaluating curriculum. As in previous editions, it provides solid coverage of the philosophical, historical, psychological, and social foundations of curriculum including recent research and thinking in these areas.  Updated to include the most current thinking in curriculum, the text engages the reader in its discussion of both technical and non-technical models of curriculum development. Ornstein and Hunkins discuss these models, not to urge acceptance of a narrow view of curriculum, but to allow students to comprehend the assumptions behind these models and to learn how they might utilize these models in a changing and emerging curriculum environment.