Available Formats
Chutes & Ladders: The Hidden Curriculum that Makes or Breaks Academic Careers
By (Author) Kerry F. Crawford
Edited by Leah Windsor
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Bloomsbury Academic
19th February 2026
United Kingdom
Professional and Scholarly
Non Fiction
Educational administration and organization
Paperback
288
Width 152mm, Height 229mm
Why do some people seem to effortlessly succeed in college, graduate school, or as facultyand why do many others struggle The answer to this can be found in a phenomenon called the hidden curriculum, the unwritten set of rules of the game in academia that can determine who finds and climbs the ladders, and who falls through the chutes. Familiarity with the hidden curriculum and how to navigate it is part of the academic safety net that increases resilience, persistence to matriculation, and success in academiaand afterwardat all levels. If academia is a game, the hidden curriculum is the secret map showing where the pitfalls are and how to avoid them. It shows where the opportunities are and how to leverage them to advance to the next level.
Chutes & Ladders: The Hidden Curriculum that Makes or Breaks Academic Careers is both an action plan and a rallying cry; it exposes the academic chutes and ladders, and outlines the systemic changes needed to best serve all scholars and to support institutional missions of diversity, inclusion, and equity in a way that makes academic successwhether defined as matriculation and degree attainment, tenure and promotion, or other career achievement milestonesmore accessible for everyone.
Dr. Kerry Crawford is an Associate Professor and the Department Chair of Political Science at
James Madison University. She was the International Studies Associations 2015-2016 James N.
Rosenau Postdoctoral Fellow.
Dr. Leah Windsor is an Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics in the Department of English
and the Institute for Intelligent Systems at The University of Memphis. She also has Faculty
Affiliate status with CAESER (Center for Applied Earth Science and Engineering Research) and
in the Department of Political Science.