Changing Course: American Curriculum Reform in the 20th Century

by Herbert M. Kliebard

In Changing Course , Herbert Kliebard explores an array of efforts to reform the American curriculum. From revolutionary changes effected in a tiny one-room frontier schoolhouse in the late nineteenth century to a modern comprehensive high school, this accessible volume presents a chronological account of specific reform efforts—exposing factors likely to achieve success as well as the roots of many failures. Using a historical perspective to illuminate contemporary problems, this volume examines both the conceptual defects of various reform theories and the ways in which theory clashes with classroom reality. Kliebard argues that educators must examine the entire range of reform efforts in order to find the telltale patterns and "fads" that must be replaced with more meaningful structural changes. "I am delighted that Herb Kliebard has gathered together these little gems from disparate corners of the academic landscape and put them together for us with new, insightful introductions that address the nature of ‘progressive’ education and the fate of various education reforms. I suspect that most historians of education, like me, will have seen some but not all of them and will be grateful to have them available together for the next generation of students."
— Carl F. Kaestle , Brown University

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2002