Curriculum introduces readers to curriculum theory and practice. Wesley Null provides a unique organization of the curriculum field into five traditions: systematic, existential, radical, pragmatic, and deliberative. He discusses the philosophical and historical foundations as well as the historical and contemporary figures who have shaped each curriculum tradition. Additionally, he presents case studies that provide the opportunity for scholars and practitioners to resolve curriculum problems through deliberation.

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 education in 21st century America. In a world in which passion-driven arguments for extreme views on curriculum often dominate discussions, Reid’s book offers a balanced perspective that is rooted in reason, wisdom, and a deep-seated commitment to justice and the public good. This 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.

Isaac Leon Kandel (1881-1965) was a major figure in educational philosophy and comparative education in the twentieth century. As a professor of education at Columbia University's Teachers College, Kandel almost single-handedly developed the field of comparative education, and was an early critic of Progressive educational philosophy. As the definitive biography of one of the twentieth century's most brilliant writers on education, this book presents Kandel as a democratic traditionalist who tirelessly advocated the ideal of liberal education for all. This book tells the story of Kandel's life and the many obstacles that he faced because of his faith and political views. The philosophy of democratic schooling that Kandel embodies is crucial to the reconstruction of American education today. Peerless Educator will be of interest not only to scholars of education, but also to practitioners who want to improve education in the twenty-first century.

The American Educational History Journal is a peer?reviewed, national research journal devoted to the examination of educational topics using perspectives from a variety of disciplines. The editors of AEHJ encourage communication between scholars from numerous disciplines, nationalities, institutions, and backgrounds. Authors come from a variety of disciplines including political science, curriculum, history, philosophy, teacher education, and educational leadership. Acceptance for publication in AEHJ requires that each author present a well?articulated argument that deals substantively with questions of educational history.

Throughout his almost fifty-year career in education, William Chandler Bagley (1874-1946) served as an untiring fighter for liberal and professional education as well as the education of teachers. He was both a supporter and a critic of John Dewey and the complex movement known as progressive (i.e. democratic) education. During the 1920s, he insightfully critiqued the intelligence testing movement and its detrimental effects on minority children. At the end of his long career, he became known as the founder of «essentialism», a movement in educational thought that he and others sought to create in the late 1930s. Bagley is a major figure in twentieth-century American educational thought, whose legacy as a democratic educator and educator of teachers merits much more attention than it has received. This book argues that Bagley's tradition in democratic education should be at least as well known as the tradition put forth by John Dewey.

The American Educational History Journal is a peer?reviewed, national research journal devoted to the examination of educational topics using perspectives from a variety of disciplines. The editors of AEHJ encourage communication between scholars from numerous disciplines, nationalities, institutions, and backgrounds. Authors come from a variety of disciplines including political science, curriculum, history, philosophy, teacher education, and educational leadership. Acceptance for publication in AEHJ requires that each author present a well?articulated argument that deals substantively with questions of educational history.

The writings in this collection on American educational thought represent the many stories, individuals, and ideas that have shaped American education during the past several centuries. This book should serve as a useful primary or supplementary text for any undergraduate or graduate course in the history of American education, American educational thought, social foundations of education, philosophy of education, or curriculum theory. The editors of this volume hope that readers of this book will come to understand, and perhaps develop a desire to participate in, the “great conversation” that is American educational thought.

In this dissertation, I explore the topics of curriculum, teaching, and the purpose of schooling in the philosophies of John Dewey and Mortimer Adler. The work evaluates the educational philosophies of these two prominent thinkers for internal consistency, and then evaluates the two philosophers from a Christian perspective. This study also seeks to incorporate their views on curriculum, teaching, and the purpose of schooling within a Christian educational philosophy. Finally, the project includes a practical, forward-looking aspect that connects the study to contemporary topics in curriculum, teaching, and schooling in the United States. The thesis of this dissertation is that the philosophies of John Dewey and Mortimer Adler with regard to curriculum, teaching, and the purpose of schooling cannot be integrated fully into each other, but some of their views can be incorporated within a Christian philosophy of education. This dissertation does not attempt to synthesize the philosophies of Dewey and Adler as a whole; Dewey's pragmatism and Adler's Neo-Aristotelianism are rooted in opposing as well asirreconcilable metaphysical, epistemological, and axiological conceptions. These differences render impossible any attempt to synthesize their views into one another. Both thinkers, however, promote specific ideas regarding curriculum, teaching, and the purpose of schooling that can be incorporated into Christian education. Thus, this study will first evaluate these conceptions from a Christian perspective and then will include only those aspects of Dewey's and Adler's views that are compatible with Christianity.