Thornton (social studies and education, Teachers College, Columbia U.) examines the teacher's role as curricular-instructional gatekeeper and its ramifications for social studies curriculum, instructional planning, teaching, and teacher education in the U.S. Coverage includes the ongoing debates and dominant views of what social studies is, an historical analysis of how curriculum has been organized over the past century, analysis of the conventional sources of social studies aims, how purposes inform curriculum development, methods of instruction, teacher preparation, and the implications of gatekeeping given the prevailing realities of schooling in the contemporary U.S. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)