The consolidation of reconceptualism as a distinctive tradition in curriculum inquiry is commonly understood to go hand-in-hand with the decline and even eclipse of an explicit political orientation in such work. This paper offers an alternative argument, focusing on a re-assessment of what has been called the representation problem, and exploring…

Explains the idea and practice of general education as a manifestation of the U.S. common school ideal. Examines representative proposals for general education in order to identify the progressive conception of general education. Considers the efficacy of general education as a curriculum practice. Suggests implications for contemporary…