The purposes of this report are to assess the need for federally supported curriculum development in education, and if there is a need, to determine appropriate policies for conducting development and supporting implementation. The assessment is based on the national curriculum development projects that have been sponsored since 1956 by the National Science Foundation. The study is intended for use by federal policy-makers and others in considering the role of national curriculum development in improving the quality of education and in determining strategies for supporting the development and implementation of school curriculum innovations. Topics covered include (1) national curriculum projects and their effect on the classroom, (2) institutional factors favoring maintenance of the existing curriculum, (3) effects of national curriculum development on institutions, (4) effects of federal curriculum programs on commercial curriculum, and (5) federal support of school-level implementation activities. The basic premises that the school curriculum is influenced by the interrelationships of the publishing industry, the state adoption committee, and local school districts, and that national curriculum development changes the character of the institutions and the way they interact with one another, were supported. Also included are further research directions and tables indicating specific changes in science curricula. (Author/JK)