School Curriculum Basics
School curriculum refers to a particular set of courses that a school or governing
body designates, but may also refer to a variety of activities designed to foster
education and meet the needs of a learning community. Whether you are a student
seeking to understand your curriculum options, or a teacher looking to create
curriculum standards, this section provides information and resources to help you
understand the legal perspective of setting a strong curriculum. Select from the list of
titles below to learn more.
Curriculum Decisionmaking
Each school district has its own process for developing curriculums. However, the
curriculums increasingly subject school administrators and boards of education to
scrutiny and criticism from parents and organizations that have their own idea of
what should be part of the school curriculum. Beyond agreeing that schools should
teach students the basics of reading, writing, math, history, science, and citizenship;
there is very little agreement about what should be included in school curricula.
School boards must design a curriculum that furthers "legitimate pedagogical
concerns;" though this term is rarely defined with any specificity. School boards are
frequently left to determine for themselves what this means. State and federal
authorities may provide guidance and frequently have better resources to research
and develop the most effective policies on the behalf of schools. Although a
universal definition has not been developed for "legitimate pedagogical concerns,"
courts have given some indication what activities would fall outside the definition.
Examples of curriculum items that would be prohibited include material that
includes;
political advocacy
bias or prejudice
lack of neutrality in religious matters
sexually harassing speech
vulgarity, profanity, nudity, sexuality, drug use, violence, or other
inappropriate themes
National School Curriculum Standards
Determinations about students' curriculums have traditionally been made by local
governments. This permitted communities some flexibility in teaching the skills
necessary to succeed in the local society and economy. However, there is a growing
trend toward the standardization of primary and secondary school education. At
present, there is no national curriculum that all school districts are required to teach.
However, independent organizations have created model curricula that school
districts may choose to incorporate. These "voluntary standards" exist for
mathematics, science, language arts, fine arts, social science, technology, and
physical education.
Advanced Placement (AP) classes are slightly more standardized. All AP students
must pass the same AP test upon completion of an AP course in order to earn college
credit for their work. AP course teachers receive a recommended syllabus intended to
help students meet these goals, but they are not required to teach everything on the
syllabus. Instead they may choose to implement or disregard the details of the
recommended syllabus, depending on what they think will best meet their students'
educational goals.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a nationally
administered test that is known as the "Nation's Report Card." The National Center
for Educational Statistics (NCES) administers the NAEP to schools throughout the
U.S. in order to obtain a representative sampling of the nation's student body. NCES
doesn't require a particular curriculum, but the results may provide insight into the
effectiveness of a school district's educational system.
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Learn About School Curriculum Basics
Curriculum Decisionmaking
How and what an educator teaches students are important determinations.
Indeed, decisions about a school's curriculum must be based upon legitimate
pedagogical concerns. At times such concerns have included teaching
material and/or classroom expression. Click here to learn more.
Curriculum and Ideology
Free speech and school curriculum don’t always align perfectly. In fact,
schools in different parts of the country may have quite different curriculum
to reflect each region's culture. But there is some oversight to prevent highly
opinionated content in public schools.
Who Has Educational Authority?
The federal government does not determine what level of schooling students
must achieve. Instead, implementing standards for students' performance is
left to state and local authorities and to some extent with parents. Click here
to read more.
Curriculum - General Background Information
From a legal perspective, curriculum issues focus on two areas: 1) the range
of courses or instructional programs available to students; and 2) the
aggregate of activities, materials, procedures, and instructional aids used in
the instructional program.
National School Curriculum Standards
There has been a national trend toward establishing a set of national
curriculum standards for education. So far, there are voluntary national
standards for math, science, and history. There are standards being developed
for other subjects as well.
National Education Curriculum Goals
The National Education Goals were established in 1989 and 1994. The goals
created a framework for improving student achievement and refocusing the
objectives of education. At the same time, the goals left specific tactics to
state and local governments and to schools.
