The field of curriculum is characterized by its porous and evolving boundaries, which are influenced by ongoing shifts in sociological, technological, scientific, and political domains. Given this dynamic context, the field necessitates continuous advancements to address these evolving trends. Consequently, its scope and prevailing research foci…

Interest in the study of computer technology in schools (often in the form of Computer Science subjects or coding initiatives) is seen to have undergone two waves of interest, one in the late 1970s/early 1980s and the other more recently since about 2010. Through a historical exploration of the rationales for the study of computer technology in…

A well-noted scholar in curriculum Joseph Schwab claimed that the field of curriculum in the US was in a state of decline by unexamined and mistaken reliance on theory specially in the 1960s. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the Ethiopian practical experiences of curriculum development and implementation context with respect to…

Background: Key to sustainability and expansion of any field is the intellectual works of its scholars who engage in their field as in-becoming and who continually strive towards its advancement. For researchers of curriculum studies this involves being knowledgeable and conversant of the underlying discourses framing and challenging the field.…

This article looks at the role of school leadership vis-à-vis the curriculum. First, it offers a brief overview of school leadership in Germany. Next, curriculum development and curriculum research in Germany is briefly recapped. We present empirical data on school leadership preferences, strain experience, and practices as to curriculum work.…

Recent neoliberal policies and societal trends point toward new and perennial tensions for nation-state education, including curriculum/Didaktik and leadership thereof. These challenges affect governance/leadership and curriculum with changes in aims and values together in ways that demand coherence, yet the traditionally disparate fields of…

In 1970, Joseph Schwab published the first of four papers that argued for a turn to the idea of the Practical in curriculum research and practice. In this paper, I revisit Schwab's original paper and explore the extent to which his case for the Practical is still relevant today. I first look at the past of the deliberative tradition in which…

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) is one of the world's leading educational research centres. ACER's mission is to create and promote research-based knowledge, products and services that can be used to improve learning across the life span. This annual report describes ACER's milestones and accomplishments for the 2013-2014…

This article looks at shifts in pedagogy used to prepare school leaders. "Leaders for America's Schools" is the focus around which the authors build their case, beginning with a recap of the early phases of administrator training. Next, the authors examine "A Nation at Risk" and the impact the educational reform movement had on administration…

This study investigates curricular change, coinciding with the implementation of a number of educational reforms aimed at raising Florida's academic standards, in Dade County secondary schools between 1982-83 and 1986-87. To ascertain the degree and type of change experienced, curriculum information on class section quantities and enrollments was…

A particular historical account of the "reconceptualization" of the curriculum field has prevailed since advocates of this movement began promoting it in the late 1970s. The standard account is that two developments have led to the demise of the curriculum field and education reform. First, leaders of national reform excluded curriculum…

The Curriculum Matrix developed by A. W. Foshay (1991) is a broad, comprehensive conception of curriculum, incorporating a range of perspectives and meanings often overlooked. This paper situates Foshay's matrix in the field of curriculum studies. By focusing on Foshay's interpretation of five curricular purposes (aesthetic, physical,…

This newsletter is the primary communication channel of the National Information Centre for Social Science Education to Australian schools. The Centre was set up by the Australian Council for Educational Research and is part of the Social Science Curriculum Project. It contains articles on research and development in Australia and overseas…

Since education is both a science and an art, it is difficult for curriculum theorists to develop rules and principles which apply to both aspects. Practical uses of curriculum theory include the application of existing models to specific situations, and practitioners using their own practical experiences and relating them to curriculum models.…

Examines the social and cultural conditions in which U.S. art education was constructed, considering the social interests that underlay its formation. Traces curriculum theory from around 1870 to the present. States that the history of curriculum involves a story of social transformation, political interests, and economic agendas. (GEA)