The United States is moving toward a more national, performance-based view of curriculum policy. The federal government will play a modest role in nationalizing curriculum policy issues, largely by pressuring states and localities through national standards. The chief agents of nationalization will continue to be state and locally based constituencies. This yearbook outlines the present national debate on educational reform, educational standards, and governance for school- and district-level educators. Designed as a short course in the politics of curriculum reform and governance, the book is divided into three parts: "Policy Development at the National and State Levels"; "State Curriculum Reform Development and Management"; and "District and School Roles in Curriculum Reform." Cutting across the chapters are several major themes: (1) the interplay between national influence and local control; (2) the essentially political character of curriculum decisions at all levels; (3) the necessity for spanning institutional boundaries in the educational system; and (4) the importance of institutional and individual capacity in shaping the outcomes of curriculum policy. Each chapter is accompanied by numerous references. The book also contains listings of the 1993-94 ASCD Board of Directors and ASCD Networks and Facilitators. (MLH)