Education Commons^™

Deliberation Of Controversial Public School Curriculum: Developing Processes And Outcomes That Increase Legitimacy And Social Justice, Steve P. Camicia

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Public schools in the United States are charged with facilitating public deliberation of controversial school curriculum. This often entails managing the negotiations between multiple stakeholders who have very different positions on the proper design and implementation of curriculum. To maintain legitimacy as caretakers of the public interest in a liberal democracy, public schools are asked to recognize all legitimate perspectives in such disputes. But what happens when a perspective is not considered legitimate or in the public interest by the dominant community? When disputes over curriculum ensue, the rights of individuals to have their perspectives included in the curriculum must …