Skip to main content

Kevin Zayed

Bridgewater College, Education, Faculty Member

Rockford University, Education, Adjunct

University of Montana, Curriculum and Instruction, Adjunct

Denison University, Educational Studies, Faculty Member

Connecticut College, Education, Faculty Member

The College of Wooster, Education, Faculty Member

Followers

115

Following

28

Mentions

3

Public Views

Kevin S. Zayed most recently served as Assistant Professor in the Teacher Education Program at Bridgewater College. His research interests include the broader history of K-12 and higher education and curriculum reform. More specifically, he focuses on the history of general and liberal education because this is the portion of the curriculum where individuals negotiate, shape, and transmit competing conceptions of culture and citizenship. Dr. Zayed seeks to understand what drives curriculum reform by exploring how underserved populations resisted pressure to conform to standardized courses of study and instead constructed representative and relevant curricula.

His writing has been featured in journals such as Perspectives on the History of Higher Education, the Journal of General Education, and the Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education. He has also contributed chapters to volumes including Educating a Working Society: Vocationalism, The Smith-Hughes Act, and Modern America and The International Handbook of Historical Studies in Education: Debates, Tensions, and Directions. Dr. Zayed is currently preparing a book-length manuscript tentatively titled Cooperation Without Consensus: Liberal Education and the Politics of Curriculum Reform and co-editing a proposal for a special issue that focuses on diverse approaches to teaching the foundations of education.

Prior to joining Bridgewater College in 2021, Dr. Zayed taught at The College of Wooster, Connecticut College, Denison University, the University of Montana—Missoula, and Rockford University. He has taught courses on the historical, philosophical, sociological, legal, psychological, and political foundations of education and supervises student teachers. In addition, he has offered seminars on critical pedagogy, classroom management, and higher education access.

less

Penn State University

University of Eastern Finland

Lorenzo D Baber

Iowa State University

Christopher Newport University

Michael Rifenburg

University of North Georgia

Jose Fernandez-Calvo

University of Oxford

Nicole M Westrick

West Virginia University

Interests

Uploads

Journal Articles by Kevin Zayed

Zayed, K.S. (2020). “We felt…that we were talking to old friends”: Catholic and Protestant colleges and their cooperation for curriculum reform. Perspectives on the History of Higher Education, 33, 118-157.

Perspectives on the History of Higher Education, 2020

Zayed, K.S. (2018). “The Art of the Possible”: Exploring the leadership qualities of Ralph W. Tyler. Journal of Student Leadership, 2, 1-11.

This article explores the leadership qualities of education researcher and professor Ralph W. Tyl... more This article explores the leadership qualities of education researcher and professor Ralph W. Tyler (1902-1994). It argues that Tyler’s theoretical understanding and practical approach to administration, leadership, and mentoring—something he frequently referred to as “the art of the possible”—is instructive for business executives, academics, and others interested in leadership. The article examines key moments in Tyler’s childhood and schooling that served to guide his later thought and actions, considers what, precisely, Tyler meant by “the art of the possible,” and offers glimpses into his leadership style by analyzing the perspectives of those who had a first-hand look at Tyler in action.

Zayed, K.S. (2013). The paradox of Mortimer J. Adler: Revisiting the distinction between liberal and general education. Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education, 5, 41–46.

Zayed, K.S. (2012). Reform in the general education movement: The case of Michigan State College, 1938–1952. Journal of General Education, 61, 141–175.

Book Chapters by Kevin Zayed

Zayed, K.S. (2019). Archives and the American historical profession. In T. Fitzgerald (Ed.), The international handbook of historical studies in education: Debates, tensions, and directions (pp. 847-862). (New York: Springer).

Zayed, K.S. (2018). "Striving for a unity of opposites: The general education movement, vocationalism, and secondary education" In G. Lauzon (Ed.), Educating a working society: Vocationalism in 20th century American schooling. (Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing), 137-155.

Book Reviews by Kevin Zayed

Zayed, K.S. (2023). [Review of the book American academic cultures: A history of higher education by Paul H. Mattingly]. Paedagogica Historica: International Journal of the History of Education, In Press

Zayed, K.S. and Kadens, J. (2022). [Review of the book Education in a new society: Renewing the sociology of education edited by Jal Mehta and Scott Davies]. Teachers College Record.

In 1965, one academic in the Journal of Higher Education cautiously considered the "proliferation... more In 1965, one academic in the Journal of Higher Education cautiously considered the "proliferation of interdisciplinary studies." Centering on the contemporary argument that interdisciplinarity would discourage academic siloization, he opined that "If we were to remove all disciplines whatsoever, there would be no restrictions, knowledge would be one, energies now separated would all be brought together, and we would have utopia-or would it instead be entropy?" (Cameron, 1965, p. 309). More than half a century later one could safely say-while still acknowledging that important interdisciplinary work is being done-that we have neither utopia nor entropy. Academic silos are still very real, and are often fiercely enforced using the abstract notions of departmental or methodological "fit." Tenure and promotion standards sometimes discourage the production of interdisciplinary work as well.

Zayed, K.S. (2018). [Review of the book The Arthurdale Community School: Education and reform in depression era Appalachia by Sam F. Stack, Jr.]. Journal of Thought, 52, 66-68.

Zayed, K.S. (2015). [Review of the book Paul Diederich and the progressive American high school by Robert L. Hampel]. History of Education Quarterly, 55, 380-383.

Zayed, K.S. (2014). [Review of the book Cultivating regionalism: Higher education and the making of the American midwest by Kenneth H. Wheeler]. History of Education, 43, 135–137.

Zayed, K.S. (2013). [Review of the book The multi-talented Mr. Erskine: Shaping mass culture through great books and fine music by Katherine Elise Chaddock]. History of Education Quarterly, 53, 465–468.

The professoriate often questions its relation to the public weal and wonders about its public im... more The professoriate often questions its relation to the public weal and wonders about its public image. In particular, most professors strive to reconcile the tension between what historian Mary O. Furner identified as advocacy and objectivity. New technologies have added an additional layer of complexity for professors in their attempts to communicate to other citizens and policy makers. As professors continue to grapple with their role in a democratic society, they would do well to read Katherine Elise Chaddock's new book, The Multi-Talented Mr. Erskine. This biography focuses on academic John Erskine (1879-1951), who would, over the course of his career, "evolve into a fully formed 'celebrity professor'-the first to deserve that title in the age of mass communication and mass culture" (p. 3). Though the book is organized as a traditional biography, less attention is paid to Erskine's formative years, and greater emphasis is placed on "his aim in bringing fine taste to the masses and the intersection of 'celebrity' with his many other defining roles-professor, administrator, husband, father, community leader, concert pianist, essayist, poet, novelist, friend, and lover" (p. 13). The book also charts his struggles with the tensions of gentility and progress, popular work and academic work, elitism and egalitarianism, specialization and essentialism, and advocacy and objectivity (p. 13).

Zayed, K.S. (2013). [Review of the book The standardization of American schooling: Linking secondary and higher Education, 1870–1910 by Marc A. VanOverbeke]. American Educational History Journal, 40, 379–383.

Zayed, K.S. (2012). [Review of the book Liberal education for a land of colleges: Yale’s “Reports” of 1828 by David B. Potts]. History of Education Quarterly, 52, 156–158.

Zayed, K.S. (2011). [Review of the book The inception of modern professional education: C.C. Langdell, 1828–1906 by Bruce A. Kimball]. History of Education Quarterly, 51, 569–572.

Public Lecture by Kevin Zayed

“Lessons from the Reform of Liberal and General Education: Contextualizing the Contemporary Curriculum Crisis” Public Lecture, Special Lecture Series, Sponsored by the Departments of Educational Studies, History, and the Program of Black Studies at Denison University, Granville OH.

Public Lecture, Special Lecture Series, Sponsored by the Departments of Educational Studies, Hist... more

Master's Thesis and PhD Dissertation by Kevin Zayed

"Cooperation Without Consensus: National Discussions and Local Implementation in General Education Reform, 1930–1960" (PhD diss., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2016)

This study explores the general education movement of 1930-1960-a movement devoted to revising th... more This study explores the general education movement of 1930-1960-a movement devoted to revising the content, and methods, of reforming the first two years of postsecondary study for undergraduates. It begins by noting that much of the extant literature focuses on the curricular statements produced by Harvard, Columbia, and the University of Chicago as well as their assumed influence upon other institutions of higher learning-including historically black colleges and universities, women's colleges, religiously affiliated colleges, land grants, and community colleges-during this time period. This study complicates this reading of the movement by arguing that the curricular statements of Harvard, Columbia, and the University of Chicago were unable to achieve curricular reform on their respective campuses and were deemed to be unacceptable by institutions across the nation. The study asks, then, if the curricular theories of these prestigious universities were unable to create and/or sustain a fixed body of curricular content on their own campuses, is it likely that they influenced the curriculums of other institutions across the country? And more important, if the curricular structures in place at these institutions were constantly evolving-driven by faculty and student concerns, local context, the politics of curricular compromise, and not representing a linear, top-down method of reform-what method of reform did these universities and other institutions of higher learning look to, for achieving tangible and sustainable mechanisms of reform? This study then offers a new way of seeing curricular reform in the general education movement by relying on the lenses provided by an exploration of three cooperative studies of general education-or studies funded by philanthropic groups in which a number of institutions and their representatives cooperate with each other and educational researchers to spur reform of iii their own curricular measures. The three cooperative studies of general education focused on are the Eight-Year Study (1930)(1931)(1932)(1933)(1934)(1935)(1936)(1937)(1938)(1939)(1940)(1941)(1942); the Cooperative Study in General Education (1938)(1939)(1940)(1941)(1942)(1943)(1944)(1945)(1946)(1947), and the California Study of General Education in the Junior College (1948)(1949)(1950)(1951)(1952).

Cooperating for Consensus: The Significance of the Cooperative Study in General Education (M.A. Thesis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2009)

This work posits that the Cooperative Study in General Education, which operated under the auspic... more This work posits that the Cooperative Study in General Education, which operated under the auspices of the American Council on Education from 1937-1947 held special significance to the larger general education movement in American higher education. It presents a discussion of the movement as a quest for both institutional and societal consensus. It then argues that the Cooperative Study actively took part in this quest as well.

Syllabi by Kevin Zayed

EDUC300, Classroom Management as Social Justice, FA2020, The College of Wooster

Classroom: Morgan Hall, 308 Time: Tues/Thurs. 3:45-5:05 Office: Morgan Hall, 227

EDUC199 ,Schooling in the City: An Introduction to Urban Education, FA2020, The College of Wooster

Classroom: Morgan Hall, 308 Time: Mon./Wed./Fri., 11:45-12:35 Office: Morgan Hall, 227

Zayed, K.S. (2020). “We felt…that we were talking to old friends”: Catholic and Protestant colleges and their cooperation for curriculum reform. Perspectives on the History of Higher Education, 33, 118-157.

Perspectives on the History of Higher Education, 2020

Zayed, K.S. (2018). “The Art of the Possible”: Exploring the leadership qualities of Ralph W. Tyler. Journal of Student Leadership, 2, 1-11.

This article explores the leadership qualities of education researcher and professor Ralph W. Tyl... more This article explores the leadership qualities of education researcher and professor Ralph W. Tyler (1902-1994). It argues that Tyler’s theoretical understanding and practical approach to administration, leadership, and mentoring—something he frequently referred to as “the art of the possible”—is instructive for business executives, academics, and others interested in leadership. The article examines key moments in Tyler’s childhood and schooling that served to guide his later thought and actions, considers what, precisely, Tyler meant by “the art of the possible,” and offers glimpses into his leadership style by analyzing the perspectives of those who had a first-hand look at Tyler in action.

Zayed, K.S. (2013). The paradox of Mortimer J. Adler: Revisiting the distinction between liberal and general education. Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education, 5, 41–46.

Zayed, K.S. (2012). Reform in the general education movement: The case of Michigan State College, 1938–1952. Journal of General Education, 61, 141–175.

Zayed, K.S. (2019). Archives and the American historical profession. In T. Fitzgerald (Ed.), The international handbook of historical studies in education: Debates, tensions, and directions (pp. 847-862). (New York: Springer).

Zayed, K.S. (2018). "Striving for a unity of opposites: The general education movement, vocationalism, and secondary education" In G. Lauzon (Ed.), Educating a working society: Vocationalism in 20th century American schooling. (Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing), 137-155.

Zayed, K.S. (2023). [Review of the book American academic cultures: A history of higher education by Paul H. Mattingly]. Paedagogica Historica: International Journal of the History of Education, In Press

Zayed, K.S. and Kadens, J. (2022). [Review of the book Education in a new society: Renewing the sociology of education edited by Jal Mehta and Scott Davies]. Teachers College Record.

In 1965, one academic in the Journal of Higher Education cautiously considered the "proliferation... more In 1965, one academic in the Journal of Higher Education cautiously considered the "proliferation of interdisciplinary studies." Centering on the contemporary argument that interdisciplinarity would discourage academic siloization, he opined that "If we were to remove all disciplines whatsoever, there would be no restrictions, knowledge would be one, energies now separated would all be brought together, and we would have utopia-or would it instead be entropy?" (Cameron, 1965, p. 309). More than half a century later one could safely say-while still acknowledging that important interdisciplinary work is being done-that we have neither utopia nor entropy. Academic silos are still very real, and are often fiercely enforced using the abstract notions of departmental or methodological "fit." Tenure and promotion standards sometimes discourage the production of interdisciplinary work as well.

Zayed, K.S. (2018). [Review of the book The Arthurdale Community School: Education and reform in depression era Appalachia by Sam F. Stack, Jr.]. Journal of Thought, 52, 66-68.

Zayed, K.S. (2015). [Review of the book Paul Diederich and the progressive American high school by Robert L. Hampel]. History of Education Quarterly, 55, 380-383.

Zayed, K.S. (2014). [Review of the book Cultivating regionalism: Higher education and the making of the American midwest by Kenneth H. Wheeler]. History of Education, 43, 135–137.

Zayed, K.S. (2013). [Review of the book The multi-talented Mr. Erskine: Shaping mass culture through great books and fine music by Katherine Elise Chaddock]. History of Education Quarterly, 53, 465–468.

The professoriate often questions its relation to the public weal and wonders about its public im... more The professoriate often questions its relation to the public weal and wonders about its public image. In particular, most professors strive to reconcile the tension between what historian Mary O. Furner identified as advocacy and objectivity. New technologies have added an additional layer of complexity for professors in their attempts to communicate to other citizens and policy makers. As professors continue to grapple with their role in a democratic society, they would do well to read Katherine Elise Chaddock's new book, The Multi-Talented Mr. Erskine. This biography focuses on academic John Erskine (1879-1951), who would, over the course of his career, "evolve into a fully formed 'celebrity professor'-the first to deserve that title in the age of mass communication and mass culture" (p. 3). Though the book is organized as a traditional biography, less attention is paid to Erskine's formative years, and greater emphasis is placed on "his aim in bringing fine taste to the masses and the intersection of 'celebrity' with his many other defining roles-professor, administrator, husband, father, community leader, concert pianist, essayist, poet, novelist, friend, and lover" (p. 13). The book also charts his struggles with the tensions of gentility and progress, popular work and academic work, elitism and egalitarianism, specialization and essentialism, and advocacy and objectivity (p. 13).

Zayed, K.S. (2013). [Review of the book The standardization of American schooling: Linking secondary and higher Education, 1870–1910 by Marc A. VanOverbeke]. American Educational History Journal, 40, 379–383.

Zayed, K.S. (2012). [Review of the book Liberal education for a land of colleges: Yale’s “Reports” of 1828 by David B. Potts]. History of Education Quarterly, 52, 156–158.

Zayed, K.S. (2011). [Review of the book The inception of modern professional education: C.C. Langdell, 1828–1906 by Bruce A. Kimball]. History of Education Quarterly, 51, 569–572.

“Lessons from the Reform of Liberal and General Education: Contextualizing the Contemporary Curriculum Crisis” Public Lecture, Special Lecture Series, Sponsored by the Departments of Educational Studies, History, and the Program of Black Studies at Denison University, Granville OH.

Public Lecture, Special Lecture Series, Sponsored by the Departments of Educational Studies, Hist... more

"Cooperation Without Consensus: National Discussions and Local Implementation in General Education Reform, 1930–1960" (PhD diss., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2016)

This study explores the general education movement of 1930-1960-a movement devoted to revising th... more This study explores the general education movement of 1930-1960-a movement devoted to revising the content, and methods, of reforming the first two years of postsecondary study for undergraduates. It begins by noting that much of the extant literature focuses on the curricular statements produced by Harvard, Columbia, and the University of Chicago as well as their assumed influence upon other institutions of higher learning-including historically black colleges and universities, women's colleges, religiously affiliated colleges, land grants, and community colleges-during this time period. This study complicates this reading of the movement by arguing that the curricular statements of Harvard, Columbia, and the University of Chicago were unable to achieve curricular reform on their respective campuses and were deemed to be unacceptable by institutions across the nation. The study asks, then, if the curricular theories of these prestigious universities were unable to create and/or sustain a fixed body of curricular content on their own campuses, is it likely that they influenced the curriculums of other institutions across the country? And more important, if the curricular structures in place at these institutions were constantly evolving-driven by faculty and student concerns, local context, the politics of curricular compromise, and not representing a linear, top-down method of reform-what method of reform did these universities and other institutions of higher learning look to, for achieving tangible and sustainable mechanisms of reform? This study then offers a new way of seeing curricular reform in the general education movement by relying on the lenses provided by an exploration of three cooperative studies of general education-or studies funded by philanthropic groups in which a number of institutions and their representatives cooperate with each other and educational researchers to spur reform of iii their own curricular measures. The three cooperative studies of general education focused on are the Eight-Year Study (1930)(1931)(1932)(1933)(1934)(1935)(1936)(1937)(1938)(1939)(1940)(1941)(1942); the Cooperative Study in General Education (1938)(1939)(1940)(1941)(1942)(1943)(1944)(1945)(1946)(1947), and the California Study of General Education in the Junior College (1948)(1949)(1950)(1951)(1952).

Cooperating for Consensus: The Significance of the Cooperative Study in General Education (M.A. Thesis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2009)

This work posits that the Cooperative Study in General Education, which operated under the auspic... more This work posits that the Cooperative Study in General Education, which operated under the auspices of the American Council on Education from 1937-1947 held special significance to the larger general education movement in American higher education. It presents a discussion of the movement as a quest for both institutional and societal consensus. It then argues that the Cooperative Study actively took part in this quest as well.

EDUC300, Classroom Management as Social Justice, FA2020, The College of Wooster

Classroom: Morgan Hall, 308 Time: Tues/Thurs. 3:45-5:05 Office: Morgan Hall, 227

EDUC199 ,Schooling in the City: An Introduction to Urban Education, FA2020, The College of Wooster

Classroom: Morgan Hall, 308 Time: Mon./Wed./Fri., 11:45-12:35 Office: Morgan Hall, 227

EDU 223, Foundations of Education, SP2020, Connecticut College

Classroom: Bolles House 105 Time: Mon and Wed 7:00-8:15 PM Office: Bolles House 202 Student Hours... more

EDU 325: Educational Policy Analysis, Critical Social Theory, and Educational Reform: The Ongoing Quest to Provide College for All, SP2020, Connecticut College

Classroom: Bolles House Blue Time: MW 245-4 Office: Bolles House 202 Office Hours: Mon 4:05-5:05 ... more

EDUC213, U.S. Education System (Social Foundations of Education), SP2018, Denison University

EDUC345, The Ongoing Quest to Provide College for All, SP2018, Denison University

What do most Americans picture when they hear the term " college? " Is it the Ivy-covered brick b... more What do most Americans picture when they hear the term " college? " Is it the Ivy-covered brick buildings of Harvard University or the sprawling campus of a large community college? Perhaps they picture a commencement ceremony where they proudly look on as a loved one— draped in academic regalia—collects their hard-earned and door-opening college degree. While Americans today hold the concept of " college " in high esteem, this has not always been the case. Rather, they have often struggled to will colleges to serve a multitude of interests and populations. Additionally, the unfinished and ongoing quest of providing " college for all " Americans is older than the republic itself. This course will explore that quest. It will also provide students with insights and tangible methods by which they can join contemporary efforts to reform American higher education. The course will explore the many institutional types that make up the American system of higher education including research universities, liberal arts colleges, women's colleges, historically black colleges, tribal colleges, normal schools, and community colleges. It will examine when and why these institutions were founded, who they sought to serve, what their campuses and curricula looked like, and most important, the experiences that students had and continue to have in their institutions. Special emphasis is given to the issues of access, student experiences, (extra)curriculum, and reform. The first unit of the course will provide a theoretical understanding of these issues. The second unit will provide historical perspectives on the American higher education. The final unit will consider the student movements of the 1960s considering the aforementioned issues. Course Objectives Satisfactorily completing this course will allow students to:

EDUC390, Critical Pedagogy: Gender, Race, and Class in U.S. Education, SP2018, Denison University

EDUC605 , Philosophical Foundations of Education, SU2018, Rockford University

A study of various philosophical perspectives involved in the means and ends of education within ... more

EDU407, Ethics and Policy Issues, FA2016, University of Montana

EDUC620, Psychological Foundations of Education, SP2016, Rockford University

This course examines classroom management theorists, concepts, and practical research-based model... more This course examines classroom management theorists, concepts, and practical research-based models. Students will explore systematic best-practice strategies conducive to positive social interaction with diverse student populations; active student engagement and motivation; and, effective classroom organization in a variety of education settings.

The Paradox of Mortimer J. Adler: Revisiting the Distinction between Liberal and General Education

The Paradox of Mortimer J. Adler

Reform in the General Education Movement

The Journal of General Education

David B. Potts. Liberal Education for a Land of Colleges: Yale's Reports of 1828. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010. 262 pp. Cloth $85.00

History of Education Quarterly, 2012

Commentators have remarked upon the influence of the "Yale Report of 1828" since the mid-nineteen... more Commentators have remarked upon the influence of the "Yale Report of 1828" since the mid-nineteenth century. Though each generation has subtly revisited and revised their understandings of curriculum reform, liberal education, and the purposes of higher learning, this document has remained a consistent reference point. Despite receiving a tremendous amount of attention-both reverent and sharply critical-a great air of mystery has swirled around this curricular statement; the unabridged text of the "Report" has been largely unavailable in published form since the mid-1830s. This unfortunate situation, historian David B. Potts suggests in his new book, has caused a number of misunderstandings regarding the "Report." First and foremost, Potts asserts that it "labors under an imposed label" (p. xvi). It should be referred to as the Yale's Reports of 1828, thus acknowledging that it was both published and written independently by three different authors. Noting this discrepancy in his preface, Potts brings the reader to a hard but unavoidable truth: we ultimately know very little about the Reports themselves. It is precisely this situation that Liberal Education for a Land of Colleges seeks to rectify. The book serves a dual purpose: to provide a thorough biographical account of the origins and influence of the Reports, and to make the text readily available. By its very nature, this book is something of a documentary history. Rather than including several abridged documents with corresponding summative statements however, it expands the genre by advancing a novel argument and including unabridged versions (some with author annotations). The book begins with an introductory essay, "A Land of Colleges." The initial pages of this essay are devoted to setting up the context of college formation in the United States during the early nineteenth century. These pages are fundamentally synthetic, drawing heavily from the author's outstanding record of scholarship. Though followers of Potts's work will find familiar themes abounding, he brings to bear a new generation of scholarship written after his seminal publications. The execution of this essay is masterful; Potts demonstrates considerable command of a plethora of published and archival sources to situate the Reports within a rich social and institutional context. Readers are effectively transported to the tenuous world of American higher education in the 1820s through the use of passionate and anxious voices, detailed curriculum offerings, and specific enrollment figures.

Bruce A. Kimball. The Inception of Modern Professional Education: C.C. Langdell, 1826-1906. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2009. 448 pp. Cloth $63.00

History of Education Quarterly, 2011

Robert L. Hampel. Paul Diederich and the Progressive American High School. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, 2014. 187 pp. Cloth $85.99. Paper $45.99

History of Education Quarterly, 2015

Reform in the General Education Movement: The Case of Michigan State College, 1938-1952

The Journal of General Education, 2012

Katherine EliseChaddock. The Multi-Talented Mr. Erskine: Shaping Mass Culture through Great Books and Fine Music. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2012. 270 pp. Cloth $95.00

History of Education Quarterly, 2013