Kelly, A. V. The Curriculum: Theory and Practice

Adolescence, Fall, 2005

KELLY, A. V. The Curriculum: Theory and Practice (Fifth Edition). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2004. 256pp. $38.95 (p), 115.00 (h).

This book has been regularly revised and updated since it was first published in the mid-1970s. A.V. Kelly's classic work on curriculum focuses on the philosophical and political dimensions of curriculum, and especially on the implications for schools and societies of various forms of curriculum. The book outlines what form a curriculum should take if it is concerned to promote a genuine form of education for a genuinely democratic society. The author summarizes and explains the main aspects of curriculum theory, and shows how these can and should be translated into practice, in order to create an educational and democratic curriculum for all schools at all levels. The book also seeks to show that the politicization of the school curriculum has led to the establishment of policies and practices which demonstrate a failure to understand these principles of curriculum theory and practice. As a result, policies and practices have been implemented which fall short of being adequate for education in a democratic society.