Discusses how educational philosopher Joseph Schwab's conception of theory applies to curriculum development. Subtopics include the relationship of theory to practice; four universal components of education and their relationships; the curriculum development group, whose composition reflects the four components; and goal-directed versus…

This article explores the origin of demands for school curriculum reform, discusses why some secondary school reforms last while others don't, lists prospects for current reforms, and suggests approaches and methods to improve the formulation of curriculum policy in the United States. Thirty-eight references are listed. (DCS)

This article describes three case studies using J. Schwab's "Practical 4" cooperative curriculum change model. The model works, although there are pitfalls to be aware of. (DCS)

Relating curriculum education to the practice of teaching, the author proposes and describes the education and role of chairman of school curriculum groups. Such chairmen would shift the school curriculum initiatives from theoretical research to local practice and would reflect the policies of curriculum educators at the graduate level. (JW)

Presents teaching writing as one way of teaching the arts of the practical and discusses the relationship between practical and scientific reasoning. Joseph Schwab's career is read as a series of explorations into the consequences of the Prometheus myth for effective action today. (MJL)

Compares Joseph Schwab's theory to John Dewey's, examines conceptions of educational and social science research implicit in Schwab's work on the practical, considers his view of teaching and its knowledge base, and discusses the types of inquiry needed to support his designs for the teaching profession and teacher education. (MJL)

Schwab's work in curriculum planning emphasizes the need for eclecticism and the legitimacy of an uncertain, practical orientation. This essay analyzes the effects of Schwab's theory and calls for a new language for education, to be formulated through practical contact with the processes of schooling. (MJL)

Describes an eight-year study in curriculum development at the University of Chicago, involving 30 school systems and featuring summer workshops in curriculum planning and evaluation. Shows how the experience validates observations made by Joseph Schwab in "The Practical 4: Something for Curriculum Professors to Do" (Curriculum Inquiry…

Addresses moral choices that lie behind practical proposals made by Joseph Schwab in "The Practical 4: Something for Curriculum Professors to Do" (Curriculum Inquiry 13:3, Fall 1983). Choices include (1) a problematic/inquiry approach to the theory/practice relationship; (2) a sense of community in planning groups; and (3) an operative,…

A framework for generating curriculum research is proposed from a synthesis of Dunkin and Biddle's model of teaching variables with Beauchamp's "curriculum system" planning functions. The framework systematically defines variables that delineate curriculum planning processes. (CJH)

In language education, several recent curricular developments from expressive writing to interactional reading share a common core of assumptions rooted in British Romanticism. This article compares central tenets of the New Literacy and Romanticism, focusing on the former's reconceptualization of the teacher, the student, and the language arts…

High-literacy education, aimed at developing verbal reasoning abilities, literary sophistication, and moral precepts, has been traditionally reserved for European and American elites. Mass education, growing out of a low-literacy tradition, can benefit less-privileged children by contructing new curricular and instructional models that encourage…

The Principal Teacher Interaction Study analyzes what principals do to bring about curriculum implementation and school improvement. For one year, this study documented principals' interventions to assist new curriculum program implementation at nine elementary schools. Data on responder, manager, and initiator leadership styles show critical…

Use of a critical approach in a curriculum design course for preservice teachers, by a five-phase process, would offer a beneficial shift away from the dominant "objectives first" models. This approach allows most teachers to reevaluate the processes and perspectives involved in educating children. (86 references) (CJH)

Explores the concept of "null curriculum"--what schools do not teach. Attempts to define the term, focusing on possible uses in theory, research, and practice. While hard to define and limited as a research concept, "null curriculum" can inform cosiderations of curriculum goals, content, and selection criteria. Lists eight…