Curriculum Reflection

In the current school environment, there are many stakeholders that have a variety of perspectives on how schools should be managed. As each stakeholder tries to push their own agenda regarding curriculum, schools are caught in the middle. Some of the stakeholders with the most pull in these negotiations regarding curriculum are: the Local, State, and Federal Government; Local Education Leaders; and the local Judicial System. These stakeholders are clearly representatives of our current society and demonstrate the divisions in education culture throughout the country. In the current climate, education is in a state of constant and unrelenting changes. These changes are often at cross-purposes and serve to confuse the curriculum used in the majority of schools.

On top of shifting political mandates and goals, there are many definitions of curriculum that only serve to muddle the design and implementation of curriculum. As each definition is focused upon, each area of curriculum (written, taught, hidden, etc.) is modified to suit the needs of the individual school or district. This change is spurred by new technology, changes in policy, and differing approaches to education. When each individual facet of education is changed to suit the needs of the individual stakeholder, the other facets suffer as a result. In my current setting, there is a great push to change our hidden curriculum to include culturally relevant writing materials (from the work of Alfred Tatum). As we modify the hidden curriculum, we must change the written and taught curricula in order to work in tandem with the new hidden curriculum.

The current climate of constant change in education and curriculum is going to be around for a number of years. As a school administrator, it is important that each of the areas and definitions of curriculum are integrated into one unified theory of curriculum for each school or district. It is a difficult task for an administrator to determine how to create a model of curriculum that meets the needs of as many stakeholders as possible. I believe that creating this unified curriculum can, and should be, the most important aspect of school design and plays the greatest role in allowing real education to take place.