At a time marked by strong demands for educational reform, the American school curriculum is a topic of special concern. This volume provides a comprehensive historical record of the evolution of the curriculum in America from the colonial period to the present day. The editors have compiled a collection of influential and representative documents in primary, secondary, and higher education in the United States. Each document is introduced by a short essay that discusses its historical context and significance. The result is a valuable chronicle of the development of the American school curriculum. The work begins with an introductory piece that overviews the development of the curriculum and surveys the most important works on curriculum history. The introduction is followed by excerpts from 34 documents representative of the school curriculum from "The Rules and Course of Study of Harvard College, 1642" to the 1983 report, "A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform." The essay that introduces each document closes with a brief bibliography, and the volume concludes with a more extensive list of sources for further reading. By consulting this reference, historians and educators can trace the development of the curriculum over the last 350 years.

This reference provides a comprehensive historical record of the evolution of the American school curriculum from the colonial period to the present day. The editors have compiled a collection of the most influential and representative documents related to primary and secondary education in the United States from "The Rules and Course of Study of Harvard College, 1642" to the 1983 report, "A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform." The introduction to the book overviews the most significant works on curriculum history and discusses trends in curriculum development. Excerpts from documents follow, and each is introduced by a brief essay and bibliography. The volume concludes with a more extensive bibliography of works for further reading.

Provides a comprehensive historical record of the evolution of the American school curriculum from the colonial period to the present day.

GEORGE WILLIS is Professor of Education at the University of Rhode Island.WILLIAM H. SCHUBERT is Professor of Education and Coordinator of the Graduate Curriculum Studies Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago.ROBERT V. BULLOUGH, JR. is Professor of Educational Studies at the University of Utah.CRAIG KRIDEL is Curator of the McKissick Museum of Education at the University of South Carolina.JOHN T. HOLTON is Superintendent of the Appoquinimink School District in Delaware.

The Rules and Course of Study of Harvard College, 1642

Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pennsylvania, 1749

The Yale Report, 1828

The Common School Curriculum, 1839 and 1841

Selection Among Studies, 1842

Graded Course of Instruction for the District Schools of Chicago, 1862

Report of a Committee on a Course of Study from Primary School to University, 1876

Report of the Committee of Ten on Secondary School Studies, 1893

Report of the Committee of Fifteen, 1895

Course of Study, St. Louis Public Schools, 1902

The Child and the Curriculum, 1902

Courses of Study, Los Angeles High School, 1908-09

Report of the Committee on Economy of Time in Education, 1913

High School Systems in Ten Cities, 1914

The Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education, 1918

Scientific Method in Curriculum-Making, 1918

An Experiment with a Project Curriculum, 1923

Experimental Practice in the City and Country School, 1924

Organization and Program of Platoon Schools in Detroit, 1924

A Program of Individualization, 1925

The Practice of Teaching in the Secondary School, 1926

List of Fundamental Questions on Curriculum-Making and The Foundations of Curriculum-Making, 1927

Reorientation in Education, 1937

Experience and Education, 1938

Reorganizing Secondary Education, 1938

What the High Schools Ought to Teach, 1940

The Story of the Eight-Year Study, 1942

Thirty Schools Tell Their Story, 1942

General Education in a Free Society, 1945

Designing Programs to Meet the Common Needs of Youth, 1953

The Importance of Structure and The Spiral Curriculum, 1960

Realms of Meaning, 1964

The Practical: A Language for Curriculum, 1970

The Roles and Relationships Among the Various Sectors in Curriculum Development, 1976

The Tyler Rationale Reconsidered, 1977

A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform, 1983