Educational Imaginaton, The

The Educational Imagination: On the Design and Evaluation of School Programs (1979, 1985, 1994) is perhaps the most influential book authored by Elliot Eisner in the field of curriculum studies. The book has been widely viewed as greatly contributing to the development and advancement of a school of thought that highlights the importance of aesthetic theory in thinking about curriculum design and program evaluation. Indeed, in 2000, the Museum of Education [Page 315]at the University of South Carolina designated it as one of the significant books of the 20th century.

The Educational Imagination represents Eisner's most successful attempt at bringing his background in the arts (especially the visual arts) to bear on the field of curriculum studies. Although some of the groundbreaking ideas within it were ...