Born and raised in Michigan, Tom received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and History from Western Michigan University in 1960. Following a tour of duty as a Lieutenant in the US Army he completed his masters in History at WMU, taught in middle school and then at Oakland Community College in Detroit. In 1968 he married Sheri and moved to Texas where he earned his doctorate in Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Houston. He worked for a foundation in San Antonio, Texas, for three years and then took a faculty position at Kansas State University. In 1979 he accepted a position at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, where he served a term as chairperson of the University Faculty Senate and chaired the Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education. At KSU and USA he was a successful grant writer, taught courses in elementary and secondary social studies and curriculum for the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral programs. Opting for an offer of early retirement in 1999, he segued into a new career of consulting, writing, traveling, reading, surfing the Internet, bird watching, and tending his flower garden. He also enjoys cooking, dinner parties with friends, Mardi Gras, singing tenor with his wife in the church choir, sharing life with their married children, and contemplating future ventures.
Understanding and Shaping Curriculum: What We Teach and Why introduces audiences to curriculum as knowledge, curriculum as work, and curriculum as professional practice. The text discusses curriculum from a theoretical and practical perspectives, covering topics such as the forces shaping curriculum, curriculum work (from policymaking to evaluation), and professional practice. This text not only acquaints readers with the study of curriculum, but also helps them to become effective curriculum practitioners.
