Reviews history of the use of the concept "core curriculum" and its decline. Includes a discussion of educational ethics and excellence centering on the need to evaluate the push toward a more academic curriculum and the effect it is having in pushing some students out of the system while developing excellence for a smaller group of students.…

Science education should be effective as "Science for All" but the science curriculums introduced in the 1960s and 1970s were inadequate and only served a science "elite" while teaching the majority of students that science was not for them. Science must be reexamined and curriculum developers should emphasize exciting examples and everyday…

Reviews some of the more important components in the curriculum development process that have evolved over 30 years at the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study. Outlines the process involved in the revision and restructuring of the tenth-grade biology curriculum. Includes references. (MD)

With the help of funding from the Amoco Foundation, the University of Chicago has developed the Chicago School Mathematics Program, aimed at motivating seventh- to tenth-grade middle-ability students in mathematics. Outlines the curriculum development process and describes the motivation for the major features of the curriculum. Includes three…

Ralph W. Tyler reviews five significant events in the field of curriculum development: (1) work of Edward Thorndike, (2) John Dewey's monograph on interest and effort in education, (3) the 26th yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, (4) the formation of the Society for Curriculum Study in 1930, and (5) curriculum experiments…

Reviews results from a national survey of curriculum development practices. Most school districts prefer homegrown teacher-developed curriculums, but local control requires expensive long-term teacher participation in conflict with budget conscious school boards' need to maintain cost controls. Includes sample survey questionnaire, four tables,…

Outlines the inadequacies of conventional curriculum guides. The emerging emphasis on the use of curriculum alignment is presented as a promising alternative with four major advantages: (1) local control of the curriculum, (2) textbook adoption by local needs, (3) better pupil achievement, and (4) simpler curriculum monitoring. Includes a…

Outlines the history of the use of the Instructional Design Process (a "systems approach" that can be applied to the curriculum development process) and its advantages. Includes a summary of the process and a list of references. (MD

The Comprehensive Instructional Management System (CIMS) is a partnership between the state of New York and local school districts. Regional teams integrate curriculum, assessment, instructional support, and staff development for local schools by focusing on student outcomes. (MD)

Developing curriculum from a constructivist perspective helps students at all grade levels learn more effectively. The developmental abilities of children are stressed, and students are taught new information by connecting it with concepts they already know. The thoughtful mediation of the teacher is a critical component of constructivism. (MD)

Finding that its curriculum renewal and adoption process was flawed, the Anchorage School District (AK) instituted new holistic process that identified major trends of the future and then developed groups of skills necessary for living in that future. Curriculum was reworked to prepare students to live in a world that demands flexibility,…

In 1983 Manchester High School (CT) became involved in a five-year planning process to reshape the school curriculum through redefinition of the competencies needed by its students to achieve success in the future. The five-year plan is outlined along with a discussion of establishing a flexible planning process that allows the school to shape the…

Technology education is a new direction in education and requires a shift to a more universal and process-oriented educational approach. The Bernard High School (NJ) has replaced its industrial arts program with a totally articulated technology education program that will become effective in fall 1987. (MD)

To solve the problems of low achieving students, it is important to change the quality of teaching instruction. Cognitive instruction is presented as a critical component for this large scale-change. Includes extensive references. (MD)

Background knowledge is a critical relationship in reading comprehension. Includes a discussion on the classroom application of background knowledge in reading instruction. (MD)