CAP - Curriculum-Advocacy-Policy

This course examines the historical, philosophical, and political contexts that have been shaping curriculum theories and studies in the United States from 1890-1970. Students explore the changing and broadening concepts of curriculum. They examine the interest groups and ideologies that have been at the center of historical struggle for control. The course draws upon the works of influential curriculum scholars, capturing central and often contentious debates among them about the aims, directions, and goals of education. Students deliberate on perennial questions: What knowledge is of most worth? Whose interests are served? Who controls the distribution and assessment of knowledge? Pre-requisite(s): Admission to the NCE doctoral program. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

This course examines educational communities as complex socio-cultural settings affected by political, sociological and historical contexts. Students will examine socio-cultural experiences through autobiographical reflection and analysis. Students will integrate personal reflections and theoretical readings with fieldwork to analyze dynamics that affect teaching and learning within the institutional settings of schools, families, and communities. This course requires approximately 15 hours of fieldwork. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

Students in the course consider curriculum theories 1970-present in relation to the assumptions and implications and the social, cultural, political and historical movements in which they are embedded. Curriculum studies as a field is explored, as is its intersections with related fields of study (e.g. disability studies, gender studies, race studies). Students explore ways in which curriculum theory can be transformative for educational practice and policy. The course involves a 15-hour field inquiry project as well as group deliberation regarding the ways in which various forms of curriculum analysis can be used to understand and enhance ongoing curriculum plans in a school, district, or other educational setting. Pre-requisite(s): Admission to the NCE Doctoral program(s) or consent from instructor. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

In this course, participants identify, analyze, and critique theoretical frameworks and practical applications of multiple perspectives on curriculum planning, organization, and evaluation. Models and examples of curriculum development, including the curriculums in which the students participate are explored, and the pedagogical, social, and political influences upon curriculum planning, including contemporary influences such as standards and common core, are investigated. Participants will consider practical problem educators face in making curricular decisions, as they devise renewed curriculum taking and develop material related to their own work environment. Pre-requisite(s): Admission to the NCE Doctoral Studies Teaching and Learning Program, or consent from instructor. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours

In this course students explore the nature, dimensions, and contexts of professional development in the field of education. Such professional development is examined within a framework of school change, and recent history of school reform efforts. Students examine different instructional and organizational implications of professional development within this context. Course readings and assignments provide students with the knowledge of various methods and strategies of professional development and the skills to apply this knowledge in designing a plan for teacher-led professional development intended to bring about changes in instructional practice, and create effective learning communities in schools. Pre-requisite(s): Admission to the NCE doctoral program or consent from instructor. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 semester hours