Berman, Louise M.

From the first book that brought Louise Berman recognition as a scholar in the field of curriculum studies (New Priorities in the Curriculum, 1968) to her present scholarship, the centrality of ethical decision making to improve the human condition is her continuing priority for curriculum. The influence of her humanities-inspired approach to curriculum studies can be traced to her childhood, educational pathways chosen, and her compelling interest in literature and language as a prior student of English literature. Just as the humanities seek to explore and understand forms of human existence with a focus on the ethical life, the just [Page 78]society, and educated citizenry, the themes in Berman's curriculum scholarship reveal her commitment to these ideals. The heart of her curriculum inquiry is rooted in norms, values, judgments, and decision making that enrich the human spirit. Berman was born in 1928 in Hartford, Connecticut. Growing up in the Depression era, Berman experienced a home that was opened to strangers who gathered around the family table, bringing stories of their hardships as well as of their joys. She was witness to the alleviation of suffering as her family helped refugees fleeing from war-torn Germany. These life lessons followed her through undergraduate studies at Wheaton College in Illinois (BA 1950) and graduate school (Teachers College, MA 1953 and EdD 1960) where the human condition found its claim on her through literature, especially poets, from around the world. But it was in her work with children while at Teachers College as a kindergarten and elementary teacher in lab schools linked with Central Connecticut State College that she made her turn to curriculum studies. She also taught in several private and public schools. Under the mentorship of Alice Miel, Berman came to share an interest in democracy and education, a consequent grounding for Berman's development of ethical decision making. Upon completion of her doctoral degree, Berman went to the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee where she taught general curriculum and supervision courses from 1960 to 1965. Her interest in international education brought her to Latin America during this time to conduct research in a community development project, an interest that she later continued in a teaching context.

In 1965, Berman became Associate Secretary of the ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development), a position she held for 2 years. Throughout this time, her scholarship evolved from prior projects begun at Teachers College. From a Seminar on Creativity in which Berman assisted Alice Miel, to participation in a workshop for international students, she began her founding scholarship with the publication of a handbook for teachers (From Thinking to Behaving, 1967) that became the basis for her first major book (New Priorities in the Curriculum, 1968).

While at ASCD, her interest and commitment to international education grew as she sought to increase the role of ASCD in international understanding. She recommended that a commission on international education be formed with Miel as chair of this ad hoc group. The first international conference was held at the Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove near Carmel, California, in 1970. From this conference, the World Council for Curriculum and Instruction was born in 1971, an organization for which Berman was a founding member and to which she has been committed throughout her professional career, becoming the third president, from 1979 to 1981.

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