A National Curriculum in the United States? - ASCD

[Pages:9]Achievmnt

Test,

to

be

in

the

Thes

country's Presidnt

given 4th,

in 8th,

five and

tes,

design

proges

and

governs'

core 12th

toward

acdemi

grades.

to

monitr

achievng

natiol

ares

the the

edu

cation

goals,

mark

a

shift

in

American

atiudes

about

natiol

influecs

ucation.

Previously

and

educators

when

in

the

United

public Staes

in

ed

leadrs have

discue

cumls,

the

educationl

tionshe

stae

responiblty

natiol

it

has

sytem

tradions

tes ben

of wer

and

natiol

in

refnc

of

other

loca

contrl

thoug

to

na and

to

be

the

American

way

forev.

Now.

for

betr

or

worse,

the

U.S

Departmn

of

Education,

forme

Tens

Govern

head

by

Lamr

Alexandr,

is

publicy

caling

for

na

tional

tesing.

In

private

conversati,

stae

and

natiol

tha

this

activy

leadrs

and

others

acknowledg like

it

are

moving

the

country

closer

curilm.

Morev,

ment

is

not

withou

public

cording

7

percnt

to

the

of

21st the

Anual public

tory

natiol

achievmnt

to

a

natiol

such

a

move

suport.

Ac

Galup

Pol,

suport

mand

tesing

and

69

percnt

suport

the

use

of

a

standr

ized

natiol

curilm.'

We

reviw

in

this

article

the-dvlop

ments

tha

in

a

natiol

ilustrae curilm

the

curent

and

inters

then

ex

plore

the

various

forms

a

U.S

natiol

curilm

might

take.

We

examin

a

variety

of

design,

governac,

and

tran

siton

optins

and

consider

whetr

ther

may

be

an

American

way

to

de

velop

a

natiol

curilma

way

tha

could

presv

variety

and

intave

for

teachrs,

as

wel

as

democrati

contrl

of

education.

But

first,

how

we

are

we

want

to

be

clear

about

using

the

terms

n

few

natiol

in

the

America

wel

acelrt

20

prosal

movent

could

in

tha

directon.

to

have

Goal "demonstra

I

cals

for

al

studen

competny

in

chalengi

subject

mater

includg

English,

and IV

education

studen

scien

georaphy" declars

matheics,

wil and

tha be

matheics

by "by first

scien,

history,

the the in

year year

the

20; 20.

world

achievmnt^

Goal U.S

in

eforts

tha

di

not

fedral

governmt,

dozens

of

foundatis,

mental

organizts

al

Academy

of

Sciens

nes

and

education

profesinal

asocitn

ports

about

the

natio

the and

condit coneiv

tional

refom

intaves.

the

term

c

emant ther

from

are

now

quasi-govern

such

as

the

(NAS),

groups,

and

tha

sponr

of

education

and

finace

Second,

the

Nation busi

re

in

na

we

use

The

goals

emphasiz

"chalengi

subject

mater"

in,specfd

discplne;

discu

the

ned

for

studen

to

"demonstra

the

abilty

to

reason,

solve

problems,

aply

knowledg,

and

write

and

comuniate

for

the

natio

efctivly"; governs

to

"subtanily

and

cal

in

190

and

incorpated

increas

the

percntag

of

studen

who

are

competn

in

more

than

one

langue."

Such

objectivs

begin

to

sound

like

the

sed

of

curilm

specifaton.

Morev,

if

the

schol

are

to

ase

"demonstra

ned

aproite

competn," evalution

they tols

wil (such

as

the

American

Achievmnt

Test),

whic

in

turn

requi

the

specifaton

of

the

conte

to

be

ased.

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