The Struggle for the American Curriculum, 1893-1958

by Herbert M. Kliebard

Published in 1987, the first edition of The Struggle for the American Curriculum was a classic in curriculum studies and in the history of education. This new third edition is thoroughly revised and updated, and includes two new chapters on the renewed attacks on the subject curriculum in the 1940s and 1950s, as well as the way individual school subjects evolved over time and were affected by these attacks.

Genres: Education, History, Grad School, School, American History, Teaching

356 pages, Hardcover

First published January 28, 1986

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Struggle for the American Curriculum is not a book to entertain; it is a book to be read in order to understand the sordid history that begat today's subject-oriented, objective-laden, test-obsessed curricula. Kliebard reveals the American curriculum is not neutral. It was the results of many tense compromises (between racist pseudo-scientists and ideologues) and economic exigencies (the rise of industry, the Great Depression, and the Cold War). The curriculum that emerged from these struggles was a highly politicized animal, often divorced from actual research, teacher input, and students’ needs. Perhaps the most tragic irony is how little we seem to have learned from these past struggles; in the ongoing debates on curriculum reform, we’re racing back to where we started.

The Struggle for the American Curriculum helped me understand the multifaceted power relationships that shape curriculum. No longer do I see American curriculum as a neutral entity. Whether it is Charles Elliot reifying the Western ethnocentrism in the Committees of 10 and 15, or the Texas Board of Education approving ethnocentric history textbooks in today's draconian test culture, we cannot shake the value-laden decisions that prize one group’s knowledge over another. Most frightening is the pervasive sense of déjà vu I felt in reading Kliebard’s book. The curricular reforms we believe will ameliorate inequality are too often the ghosts of races already run. In our efforts to close achievement gaps, we may be stuck perpetuating them.

[Dr. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Painfully informational.

[Loren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this broad overview of the history of education. It identifies the primary movements and parties over the decades. It only implicitly relates them to public education today, but you can see the trends and patterns.

This book doesn't get into the specific content of the curriculum (whether certain formulas are taught, or how much time to allocate to the Revolutionary War). It's big picture.

There are pragmatic concerns and theoretical concepts in play, but at its core, there are worldview issues that really drive some of these trends:

"The question may then be raised as to why this struggle was so bitterly fought. The most immediate answer is that it was a battle for control over the forms of knowledge as well as the values that an important social institution would pass on to the next generation." (page 248, right at the end of the book).

[Larina Warnock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This highly readable narrative of the political and philosophical underpinnings of modern American education will make you carefully consider your priorities as you review, select, or create curriculum.

[Jonathan Lothspeich · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's about as thrilling as the cover makes it look, although the subject matter is interesting. My biggest complaint about his book is that, while it goes in-depth about the arguments over curriculum within the educational community, the larger socio-political landscape and pressures are largely ignored. There are occasional nods to WWII and the launching of Sputnik and the effects of that upon schools, but I would personally have found it much more interesting to read about this content with these considerations included.

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thorough

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bias holds the score down for this book

The Struggle for the American Curriculum, 1893-1958 by Kliebard is a classic in the world of college textbooks about American educational history and curriculum. However, if I might be so bold to say so, it is not a classic due to its own strength but rather to the paucity of books that cover this topic.

I have no problem with Kliebard's choice of years to write about (1893-1958) since they are the years when debate over what should be the proper curriculum in America's schools was at its most fierce, beginning with the Committee of Ten report in the 1890s, he documents several movements and ends with the federal government assuming more control over education right after the Sputnik incident caused the American government to doubt the quality of teaching science and math students were receiving.

Kliebard is a professor of education. This shows when he tells this story to his readers. Although he knows his material backwards and forwards, he clearly is an apologist for John Dewey and he has little tolerance for any other education movement. He openly mocks many of them as tools for social control by the ruling class. Other times he pulls out sexist and racist quotes that are intended to excite the reader into disliking educational movements. While it is a dependable (but cheap) tactic to score a few points in a debate, it is a very poor way to write history. It also distorts the true study of some of these movements...

Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/...

[Trish Bodine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kliebard has a entertaining voice. He expertly weaves the ideas of interest groups steering the direction of curriculum through the murky waters of change as the United States moved into the Industrial Age.

[Leanna Aker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed this book for my Ph.D. comprehensive exams, and read it many years ago. This book provides a detailed history of curriculum pendulum shifts between Progressivism and Essentialism in American education. Though detailed, it is a bit dry.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great information about the history of education. It is nice to see how far education has come which can hopefully help teacher guide and change education for the better.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book that every teacher(and parent)should read. An interesting (but not really exciting) look of how public school curriculum has come to be what it is today.

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, it was a textbook, one that I might have enjoyed more if it wasn't for a summer cram class. Very interesting from a historical standpoint.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting information... but it seems like it was written as a series of articles. There is a lot of repetition and circling back, but in all, a good guide to American education.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very well written look at the American education system and the forces that sought to shape it in the late 19th and early 20th century.

[Garret Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book for my studies and profession.