Reflection: Influences on School Curricula Today

 

What are some of the societal forces that influence school curricula today?

Peter Olivia has stated that one of the ten general axioms for curriculum development is “Curriculum Development is an Ongoing Process.”  He goes on to say, “Continuous monitoring, examination, evaluation, and improvement of curricula are needed. No curriculum meets the needs of everyone. As the needs of learners change, as society changes, and as new knowledge and technology appear, the curriculum must change.”  One of these forces includes the definition of “college and career ready,” as noted in Maryland’s Common Core State Standards.  What is meant by “college and career ready?”  In order for students to be ready for the world of tomorrow, we need to help them develop the skills they will need:  problem-solving and critical thinking, technological knowledge and communication skills; the belief that we are all life-long learners and will continue to learn, guided by our interests and the needs of society.  These are the forces that influence school curricula today.

How do curriculum definitions, curricular history, and theoretical approaches and policy progress relate to major societal forces such as technology and the world at large?

These societal forces, such as technology and the world at large, highly influence today’s definition of curriculum and guide the theoretical approaches and policies to the types of curricula that is in place today.  For example, when the Russians successfully launched Sputnik in 1957, education, as we knew it, changed dramatically.  The “space race” was on, and we needed to beef up our knowledge of science and engineering and overall skills in our education system.  Millions of dollars were funneled into educational reforms, which included changing the curriculum.  Today, with new and emerging technologies and the need for highly skilled workers in our very technically focused work force, we need to think about preparing our students “for their future, not our past,” (Daniel Pink).  Students need to learn how to think deeply and creatively and have the skills and imagination to solve problems that don’t yet exist.

How might a school leader be proactive in the advent of these types of influences in terms of curricular offerings?

A school leader needs to be willing to “think outside the box” because today, there is no box!  If creativity and innovation skills are essential to functioning in today’s society and work force, the school leader needs to be revising curricula that develops these skills in students.  Integrating technology appropriately into the curriculum, making cross-curricular connections and seeing the links between art and science, all help students develop their imaginations to create solutions to problems that haven’t developed yet!  One of the causes of the tragic fire inside Apollo I that killed three astronauts was, as Frank Borman opined, was “a failure of the imagination.”  Everyone involved with Apollo at the time did not even imagine that something this catastrophic could happen on the ground, during a routine test.  They knew it could happen in space, but didn’t consider other possibilities.  It is this imagination for the impossible, that we need to develop in our children.  Our curricula need to reflect that goal, to have the imagination to respond to problems or situations that do not yet exist.  A school leader needs to remove the barriers to thinking beyond the impossible.