The Pursuit of Curriculum:
Schooling and the Public Interest
by
William A. Reid
Edited with and Introduction and Postscript
by
J. Wesley Null
In this far-reaching discussion of curriculum and liberal education, William A. Reid compares curriculum making to the idea of “pursuit.” Like justice, Reid argues that curriculum is not something that we own or possess in a material sense; rather, it is an achievement that anyone involved in schooling must and should pursue. Drawing upon the acclaimed work of Joseph J. Schwab, Reid discusses four traditions within curriculum theory (the systematic, the radical, the existentialist, and the deliberative), and then makes his case that a deliberative perspective is the soundest, most long-lasting philosophical tradition for curriculum theorists to follow. Reid’s goal is to persuade readers to engage in the age-old practice of deliberation.
Wesley Null introduces readers to Reid’s book with a new introduction and postscript that connect the Schwab-Reid tradition to the ancient roots upon which deliberative theory is based. Null also draws connections between Reid’s text and contemporary issues facing curriculum and liberal education in 21st century America. In a world in which passion-driven arguments for extreme views on curriculum often dominate discussions, this book offers a balanced perspective that is rooted in reason, wisdom, and a deep-seated commitment to justice and the public good. The book speaks directly to teachers, school administrators, university faculty, and anyone else who is interested in thinking clearly about the question of what should be taught in America’s schools.
CONTENTS:
Foreword by O. L. Davis, Jr.
Introduction–Teaching Deliberation: Curriculum Workers as Public Educators
Preface
PART I–Perspectives on the Curriculum
Chapter 1. How We Think About Curriculum
Chapter 2. The Institutional Character of Curriculum
Chapter 3. Ways of Understanding: Great Ideas or Eclectic Arts?
Chapter 4. Curriculum Perspectives and Philosophies of Schooling
PART II–A Deliberative Perspective
Chapter 5. The Case for a Deliberative Perspective
Chapter 6. The Commonplace of the Teacher
Chapter 7. The Commonplace of the Student
Chapter 8. The Commonplace of Subject Matter
Chapter 9. The Commonplace of the Milieus
Chapter 10. The Commonplace of Curriculum Making
Epilogue: Schooling and the Public Interest
Postscript: Rediscovering the Public Interest
Bibliography
Author Index
Subject Index
About the Authors
William A. Reid has been well known as a curriculum theorist since the 1970s. After obtaining his B.A. degree from Cambridge University, he taught in English high schools before moving on to conduct curriculum research at the University of Birmingham, where he obtained his Ph.D. He was among the first to extend Joseph Schwab’s work, especially Schwab’s emphasis on deliberation, through the publication of books such as Case Studies in Curriculum Change: Great Britain and the United States (co-edited with Decker F. Walker, 1975), Thinking about the Curriculum: The Nature and Treatment of Curriculum Problems (1978), and Curriculum as Institution and Practice: Essays in the Deliberative Tradition (1999). He received the Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding contributions to Curriculum Studies from AERA, Division B, in 1994.
J. Wesley Null is a curriculum theorist, educational historian, and teacher educator at Baylor University. He holds appointments as an Assistant Professor in the School of Education and the Honors College. He earned his B.S. and M.Ed. degrees from Eastern New Mexico University. In 2001, he completed his Ph.D. degree at The University of Texas at Austin, where he studied curriculum theory and the history of education. At Baylor, Null teaches curriculum and foundations of education in the School of Education and social science and great texts in the Honors College. He also teaches teacher education courses each semester at Waco High School. Null is co-editor, with Diane Ravitch, of Forgotten Heroes of American Education: The Great Tradition of Teaching Teachers (IAP, 2006). He is also the author of A Disciplined Progressive Educator: The Life and Career of William Chandler Bagley (Peter Lang, 2003), and a co-editor (with three others) of Readings in American Educational Thought: From Puritanism to Progressivism (IAP, 2004). He serves as Editor of the American Educational History Journal.
Greenwich, CT: IAP-Information Age Publishing, 2006
Paperback ISBN: 1-59311-507-5
Hardcover ISBN: 1-59311-508-3
204 pages