Central to the intellectual field and professional practice of English education is a curriculum of great complexity. Although its focus might be defined simply in terms of reading and writing skills and experiences, the historical contest over the content, purpose, and process of English education demonstrates that literacy is inextricable from the complexities of culture, ideology, psychic life, and social power. Moreover, unlike other areas of the school curriculum, English education centers study the very language through which teachers and students communicate. Even when bound by reform efforts focused on the basics, therefore, the English curriculum is continuously unsettled and reshaped by the literacy practices and experiences that are its focus.

The complexity of curriculum in English education can be further understood when viewed through the ...