Chapter 1: Curriculum Theorizing in the Throes of the Audit Culture¹

In the past few years, I have attended a number of College-wide faculty discussions about the press for program-based “innovative” curriculum design and development in response to increasing competition for students, especially from those recruiting for various privatized options for teacher certification, for example. As I was exiting the room at the close of a somewhat contentious session, a colleague casually asked me: “Say, whatever happened to curriculum theory in all this current push for design and development?” She disappeared into the congested hallway before I could utter even a fragment of a reply. So, here is a slice of how I wish I could have answered: