Influences on Curriculum

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I would argue there are many societal forces that influence school curricula today. First, I would posit that the federal government influences school curricula more so now than ever before. From No Child Left Behind to Common Core, the federal government influences curricula significantly. It feels as though this move to centralize control of curriculum tends to go against the we as educators should support a child’s unique gifts (Burrello, 2000). Although there is something to be said for the common core standards allowing for a more quantifiable set of results and therefore may be more psychometrically valid (ibid). With yet another twist, Burrello talks about the notion that content and the process of learning being linked (ibid). The Burrello readings left me with many more questions than answers.

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In our group work, we determined that we have many more definitions of curriculum than I would  have imagined. I approached the definition with an intentional vagueness and defined curriculum as a guiding framework. I believe that the government as a whole should provide only that guiding framework and leave the process of determining content to the state or even local district. This supports my theory that schooling should be a process of helping learners determine and pursue their interests rather than the current system of producing academics. Unfortunately, there is a giant disconnect between the rest of the world (including technology) and the educational ecosystem (policy makers, government, etc). Recently there have been efforts to reduce that gap, such as the push for more STEM education in the K-16 system. Troublingly, the current need for advanced skill workers is being filled by foreign workers, which means the jobs we are preparing our kids to take may not be available by the time they graduate.

One way a school leader can be proactive is by helping students determine and follow their interests. A robust school should have a myriad of after-school offerings for topics that may interest students such as photography, robotics, sports, and more. School is the only place where many students will get to access these types of programs, and in the wake of common core schools will be possibly forced to offer fewer classes during the day. After-school extracurricular activities may end up being the only way students can determine and pursue their interests.