Some of the societal forces that influence school curricula today are the integration of technology, the politics of the No Child Left Behind Act, the mainstreaming of Special Education students, the weakened economy, and the value placed on making American students competitive in global society.
Curricula are being re-written in order to appeal to the 21st century learner. Equipped with computers, smart phones, video game systems, and tablets, students are no longer enthralled in paper and pencil lessons. Curricula re-writes are now infusing multi-media in order to keep students engaged. The rationale for incorporating technology, however, is about more than just student engagement. To be competitive in the 21st century workforce, students need to leave high school with experience and proficiency in technology. Many fields are using technology to become more efficient and competitive globally.
The politics of the No Child left behind Act have, and are still, affecting curricula today. The expectation of 100% success has left curricula watered down and molded to a test. Curricula were re-written to incorporate reading and math skills which were very specific to those required for the test. NCLB perhaps also led to the combination of reading and math remedial programs with standard reading and math courses; the “double periods” were placed in students’ schedules in place of the arts.
The mainstreaming of Special Education students has affected curricula by the incorporation of differentiation strategies. Along with the suggested differentiation activities, many schools were also afforded audio versions of the texts, adapted readings, and technology in order to modify a mainstream curriculum for a student with an IEP or 504 educational plan.
The weakened economy has also placed a strain on the budgets of nearly every school system across the country, at the local, state, and federal level. Budget cuts have led to weakened or cancelled programs, fewer teachers, larger class sizes, and a depletion of resources. All this in the face of a growing student population on Free and Reduced lunch. Re-writing curricula, for non-tested areas especially, will not be made a priority when budget cuts and teacher excesses are happening.
There is also increasing value being placed on making America’s educational system and students becoming competitive globally, especially against growing powers such as China and Japan. President Obama referenced this in his recent State of the Union address. Curricula will become increasingly rigorous and math and science driven in order to ensure that American students attain jobs in the world’s most competitive fields. I also believe that this value has led to the increased attention on AP tests and SATs.
Based on these societal influences, a school leader should be proactive in attaining technology and professional development in his/her school. In order to stay competitive and ahead of the societal shifts in education, a school leader should work to have the most qualified and advanced staff. Providing staff with rich professional development and abundant resources are two methods a school leader can use to support the staff and, consequently, secure quality instruction for students.
