Since the 1930s, scholars in the SFE have influenced the field of education in two major ways: first, through professional preparation and development of teachers and school leaders, and second, through research into the social contexts of education, teaching and learning. Whether in professional preparation programs or research, social foundations scholarship has historically demonstrated three distinguishing characteristics: it seeks to critically analyze the social contexts within which educational institutions, processes, and ideals operate; it applies evolving multidisciplinary perspectives - from History, Philosophy, and, Sociology in the 1930s to Cultural Studies, Post-Colonial Studies, and, Environmental Studies today - to the critical interpretation of educational phenomena; and it uses democratic ideals as a framework for interpreting and evaluating educational institutions. Parts one and two of this volume present the theoretical lenses used to study the social contexts of education. These include long-established foundations disciplines such as sociology of education and philosophy of education as well as newer theoretical perspectives such as critical race theory, feminist educational theory, and cultural studies in education. Parts three, four, and five demonstrate how these theoretical lenses are used to examine such phenomena as globalization, media, popular culture, technology, youth culture, and schooling. This groundbreaking volume helps readers understand the history, evolution, and significance of this wide-ranging, often misunderstood, and increasingly important field of study. The key features of the book include: comprehensive - no other volume offers such a wide range of cross-disciplinary and theoretical approaches to inquiry and then demonstrates those approaches in applied research; leading-edge scholarship - chapter authors range from some of the most established and recognized names in the field to dynamic young scholars who are shaping the next generation of social foundations research; contemporary focus - chapters throughout the volume provide in-depth examinations of current cultural and technological changes in communications media, youth culture, sexual orientations, and the environment; and globalization focus - authors examine the causes and consequences of globalization in contemporary life from various perspectives. This book is appropriate as a reference volume not only for scholars in the social foundations of education but also for scholars interested in the cultural contexts of teaching and learning (formal and informal). It is also appropriate as a textbook for graduate-level courses in Social Foundations of Education, School and Society, Educational Policy Studies, Cultural Studies in Education, and, Curriculum and Instruction.