Drawing on the idea of powerful knowledge, this book interrogates the epistemic quality of education in schools, in terms of what students are expected to know, make sense of and be able to do through the curriculum. In doing so the authors acknowledge the significance of transformation processes through which specialized knowledge, developed in subject disciplines, is reshaped and re-presented in educational environments. Moving beyond the narrow knowledge vs skills debate of the 20th century, the authors look at how we might democratise and open up access to 'knowledge of the powerful' for all through the school curriculum. Arising from the work of the Knowledge and Quality across School Subjects and Teacher Education network (KOSS), funded by the Swedish Research Council (2019-22), this book draws on studies conducted in a range of national contexts, including from Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and the UK, and considers the implications for curriculum innovation at policy, programmatic and classroom level.

List of IllustrationsList of ContributorsPrefaceForewordAcknowledgements Foreword, David Lambert (University College London, UK) 1. Researching Powerful Knowledge and Epistemic Quality across School Subjects, Niklas Gericke, Brian Hudson, Christina Olin-Scheller and Martin Stolare (Karlstad University, Sweden) 2. Evaluating Epistemic Quality in Primary School Mathematics in Scotland, Brian Hudson (Karlstad University, Sweden, and University of Sussex, UK) 3. Epistemic Quality of Physical Education in a High School in France, Monique Loquet (Rennes 2 University, France), Brian Hudson (Karlstad University, Sweden, and University of Sussex, UK) and Anke Wegner (University of Trier, Germany) 4. Epistemic Quality of Language Learning in a Primary Classroom in Germany, Anke Wegner (University of Trier, Germany), Brian Hudson (Karlstad University, Sweden, and University of Sussex, UK) and Monique Loquet (Rennes 2 University, France) 5. Powerful Knowledge of Language and Migration in Norwegian and Swedish Textbooks, Birgitta Ljung Egeland (Karlstad University, Sweden) and Lise Iversen Kulbrandstad (Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway) 6. Powerful Reading and Epistemic Quality in First Language and Literature Education, Satu Grünthal, Pirjo Hiidenmaa and Liisa Tainio (University of Helsinki, Finland) 7. Teaching Practices in Transformation in Connected Social Science Swedish Classrooms, Marie Nilsberth, Christina Olin-Scheller and Martin Kristiansson (Karlstad University, Sweden) 8. Epistemic Quality in the Intended Mathematics Curriculum and Implications for Policy, Jennie Golding (UCL Institute of Education, University College London, UK) 9. A Material-Dialogic Perspective on Powerful Knowledge and Matter within a Science Classroom, Mark Hardman (UCL Institute of Education, University College London, UK), John-Paul Riordan (University of Canterbury, UK) and Lindsay Hetherington (University of Exeter, UK) 10. Investigating the Nature of Powerful Knowledge and Epistemic Quality in Education for Sustainable Development, Per Sund (Stockholm University, Sweden) and Niklas Gericke (Karlstad University, Sweden) 11. Trajectories of Epistemic Quality and Powerful Knowledge across School Subjects, Niklas Gericke, Brian Hudson, Christina Olin-Scheller and Martin Stolare (Karlstad University, Sweden) References Index