Narrowing of Curricula

What is the purpose of education? John Dewey wrote in 1934 that the purpose of education has always been “to give the young the things they need in order to develop in an orderly, sequential way into members of society. In 1948, Martin Luther King Jr. said that the purpose of education was “to teach one to think intensively and to think critically”. 1957’s purpose of education, according to The ASCD Committee on Platform of Beliefs, was “to provide for the fullest possible development of each learner for living orally, creatively, and productively in a democratic society. And finally, in 1991, Arthur W. Foshay said the purpose of education was “to develop the intellect, to serve social needs, to contribute to the economy, to create an effective work force, to prepare students for a job or career, to promote a particular social or political system”. Now, out of those three examples which one mentions the purpose of education is to perform well on standardized tests? None. So why then are schools more focused on standardized tests, and less on the full enriched curriculum. Schools and teachers are narrowing their curriculums to ensure good test scores.

According to Jane David of Educational Leadership, “Narrowing of curriculum derives from the fact that “…standardized tests can only assess a small portion of the curriculum. State accountability tests leave out some subjects altogether, and they only cover a limited sample of the many subtopics covered in others” (David 2011). There is specific evidence of this from Mike Rose’s article, The Mismeasure of Teaching and Learning: How Contemporary School Reform Fails the Test. He says “The high-stakes tests led many administrators and teachers to increase math and reading test preparation and reduce time on other subjects: science, history, and geography received less attention, and the arts were, in some cases, drastically reduced or eliminated.” (Rose 2011) The teachers of these schools notice that there is no more fun in education, it is all about getting those

high-test scores. One teacher from Rose’s article even called it “an abomination”. So many veteran teachers have certain techniques of teaching their subjects that makes learning educational and fun. These teachers are forced to drop their successful ways of teaching, and they lose their ability to efficiently teach their best, which then leads them to being accountable. Our group discussed how curriculums are mainly focused on math and reading, yet so many students do not master these topics. This not only is detrimental to the student but also for the teacher. These test scores reflect teacher effectiveness just as much as they reflect a students’ cognitive ability. It is simply unfair to judge both teachers and students based off of this one aspect.

Curriculums need to reflect the goal of American education, making students equipped for society, giving them opportunities to critically think, and provide a creative developed person. Narrowing students’ curriculum does nothing more than single students who are exceptional at math and reading. We need to bring the fun back to education for every student.!

David, J. L. (2011, March). Research Says… / High-Stakes Testing Narrows the Curriculum. Retrieved June 14, 2016.

What is the Purpose of Education? (n.d.)

Rose, M. (2011). The Mismeasure of Teaching and Learning: How Contemporary … Retrieved June 14, 2016