Curriculum: From Theory to Practice introduces readers to curriculum theory and how it relates to classroom practice. Wesley Null provides a unique organization of the curriculum field into five traditions: systematic, existential, radical, pragmatic, and deliberative. He discusses the philosophical foundations of curriculum as well as historical and contemporary figures who have shaped each curriculum tradition. Additionally, after a chapter on each of the five perspectives, Null presents case studies that describe realistic and specific curriculum problems that commonly arise within elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and universities. Scholars and practitioners alike are given opportunities to practice resolving curriculum problems through deliberation. Each case study focuses on a critical issue such as the implementation of state curriculum standards, the attempt to reform core curriculum within universities, and the complex practice of curriculum making.

′This book will be of interest to educational practitioners, and many other professionals concerned with the education and development of the young′ - ESCalate `A very well-respected book [and a] Curriculum classic...[which offers] balance to current official publications...One of its strengths is the coherent argument that runs throughout. It is very much a product of the wide knowledge and experience of the author.′ - Jenny Houssart, Senior Lecturer, Department of Learning, Curriculum & Communication, Institute of Education, University of London, UK Praise for previous editions: `I use this book as an essential course text for a module on curriculum theory. It is an excellent text for the whole course′ `Vic Kelly′s writing is always concise and informative, but also at times challenging′ `A most comprehensive text that takes the reader beyond content/balance issues values, beliefs and assumptions on the curriculum′ This is the sixth edition of a book that has been regularly revised and updated since it was first published in the mid-1970s. A V Kelly′s now classic work focuses on the philosophical and political dimensions of curriculum, and especially on the implications for schools and societies of various forms of curriculum. The book outlines what form a curriculum should take if it is concerned to promote a genuine form of education for a genuinely democratic society. Kelly summarises and explains the main aspects of curriculum theory, and shows how these can and should be translated into practice, in order to create an educational and democratic curriculum for all schools at all levels. The book also seeks to show that the politicization of the school curriculum has led to the establishment of policies and practices which demonstrate a failure to understand these principles of curriculum theory and practice. As a result, policies and practices have been implemented which fall short of being adequate. In view of the rapid pace of educational change imposed by various governments over the last 35 years, including New Labour, this book is more relevant than ever.

This book explores how different classroom discourses and concepts of knowledge permeate teaching in high- and low-performance classrooms. Drawing on empirical research from classrooms in Sweden, it presents a theory-based framework for classroom research. The book examines the central concepts of knowledge, curriculum, pedagogy and equity to discuss differences in access to knowledge and the implications of these differences for students’ future opportunities and well-being. It analyses the relationships between different teaching factors and discusses teaching from democratic perspectives developed within curriculum theory. Combining insights from curriculum theory with insights from sociolinguistic and sociocultural classroom research, this project breaks new ground in how knowledge from curriculum content is recontextualised into concrete teaching practices in the context of a standards-based curriculum. Providing valuable insights into the intersections between classroom practice, student performance and teacher expectations, this book will be of great interest to academics, researchers and post-graduate students in the fields of curriculum research, education policy, teacher education and classroom practice.

This volume brings together a collection of essays by William A. Reid that present and elaborate the deliberative tradition of curriculum theory, and examine the implications of a deliberative perspective for approaches to policy making and school systems. The essays illustrate the development of Reid's understanding of the deliberative tradition and his efforts to extend it from a focus on practice to one that embraces conceptions of schooling as an institution. Institution and practice are the key concepts which guide and illuminate the central thesis of the book: To be effective, a theory of curriculum must be able to talk not only about questions of desirable practice, but also about questions of how practice may be aided or constrained by the nature of the institution within which it takes place. This significant new contribution to the literature of curriculum studies: *represents a unique attempt to synthesize what have often been treated as quite separate issues: questions of the philosophical basis for curriculum decision making, questions of processes of decision making, and questions of the nature of schools and classrooms; *presents its material in an evolutionary way, focusing on the continuing development of ideas, rather than on a "rhetoric of conclusions"; and *offers a summing up of thought and achievement in the deliberative tradition that is not otherwise available.

This book explores how curriculum reform is interconnected with policy, practice and society. Curriculum reform is increasingly associated with efforts to better the lives of citizens and provide a competitive edge to national prosperity. Educational policy and practice have been the subject of unprecedented convergence worldwide in the quest for so-called 21st century skills. This book offers a case study of curriculum reform within the Republic of Ireland, focusing on antecedents, processes and outcomes of government efforts to evoke fundamental curriculum realignment at lower secondary level. Set against a backdrop of fluctuating economic fortunes and concerns about academic standards and educational equity, this volume has wider relevance beyond Ireland for any system undertaking education reform at scale.