Our official K-12 school curriculum embodies the state’s answer to the question: What must children learn so they can function appropriately as adults in our society? Answering this question is always complicated because it is an expression of what we, as a society, value. The past decade, however, has seen public and professional discussion around curriculum reform descend into ideologically-driven, partisan conflict in Alberta. This talk will address what makes curriculum development complex and how and why the process has become so contentious in the past decade.