The Relationship between Society and Curriculum
Curriculum includes subjects that make up a course of study in schools, colleges, and universities. Curriculum development can be defined as a step-by-step process of creating a positive According to Vreuls et al. (2022), curriculum development is one of the most complex tasks that educators have. Various steps involved in curriculum development include analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. Several socio-political and technical issues, as well as, professional processes affect curriculum development (Vreuls et al., 2022). Due to the accumulation of these social, political, economic, and professional changes, the complexity of curriculum development has only been seen to have increased in recent years. This paper presents the first assignment: the relationship between society and curriculum.
The Organization
The organization is Volusia County School Board. Volusia County is found in the heart of the beautiful east coast of Florida. It is a rapidly growing and progressive area in the State of Florida. The county is made up of 16 municipalities (the School District of Volusia County, 2022). The country’s public school system has approximately 63,000 students and about 7,800 employees. The school system is the 16th largest school district in the state and the largest employer in the county. The School Board of Volusia County is a governing board of the school district. This board has the authority to supervise the public schools in the school district. The local school board has a critical role to play in curriculum development (the School District of Volusia County, 2022). The board makes critical decisions and approves the curriculum. The adoption committee engages the school district board throughout the process.
Three Factors Influencing Curriculum Development
The three forces that led to curriculum changes in the United States include since 2000 include diversity education, Common Core State Standards, and Technology and 21st-Century Learning. These issues influenced the curriculum developed across almost all school districts in the United States (Glatthorn et al., 2018). Diversity groups such as the LGBTQ and other ethnic groups have become common and the need to learn about them is becoming necessary. Diversity in education is associated with gender, race, social class, exceptionality, and the interaction of these variables. Students are engaged when the curriculum is relevant which is why these changes are effected (Glatthorn et al., 2018). Common Core State Standards (CCSS) imposed various academic quality standards among states (Gordon et al., 2019). Technological advances lead to new information and learning strategies.
Curium Changes
The School Board of Volusia County constitutes the rulemaking body of the district school system. In that regard, the School Board of Volusia County authorized the changes. According to the School District of Volusia County (2022), the board decides once a quorum is achieved. The school board meeting is presided over by the board chairperson. People involved in the decision-making include the chairperson of the school board, the vice chairperson, the superintendent, and board members. The superintendent is the chief executive officer of the school board and serves as the secretary (the School District of Volusia County, 2022). The leader is responsible for the administration and management of the schools.
The changes made due to the three forces names in the previous paragraphs occurred between 200 and 2009. The changes made during this time due to the identified forces include the introduction of diversity education into the curriculum, the incorporation of technology education, and the introduction of various academic quality standards in the curriculum (Gordon et al., 2019). Students began learning about different cultures, gender, sexual orientation, and social class. The reason was to make learning relevant to learners and allow them to learn about the cultural background of the state.
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association (NGA) led the development of CCSS. It was meant to create K–12 English language arts and mathematics standards that are higher and clear, research-based, internationally benchmarked, and aligned with college- and career-readiness expectations (Glatthorn et al., 2018). Regarding technology and recent learning, the curriculum developers integrated technology learning. The intention was to make the needs of the new 21st-century learner a priority, promote innovation, and enhance learning flexibility through online education. Stakeholders had positive responses regarding these major curriculum developmental changes.
Personal Observations
Based on the analysis provided above and the understanding as to why the changes were made, I agree with them. These priorities are still relevant to date and have led to improved quality of education. For example, diversity education has enhanced cultural understanding. Furthermore, it has made learning relevant to many minority students such as Native Americans and African Americans (Glatthorn et al., 2018). Learning about special groups such as LGBTQ has helped people to have a positive perception of them, hence reducing stereotypes. Technology knowledge has led to more creativity and flexibility in learning. In addition, the CCSS has improved the quality of education. Something to add is to expand diversity education to ensure all groups are incorporated. This will improve the learning experience of all students originating from any minority group (Gordon et al., 2019). A better perception of LGBTQ should be established because this population is still facing many social challenges.
Conclusion
Curriculum development is a process of developing a method of learning. School district boards play a significant role in curriculum development. The three forces that have influenced curriculum development in the US since 2000 include diversity education, Common Core State Standards, and Technology and 21st-Century Learning. These issues have had a positive impact on American education.
References
Glatthorn, A. A., Boschee, F., Whitehead, B. M., & Boschee, B. F. (2018). Curriculum leadership: Strategies for development and implementation. SAGE publications.
Gordon II, William R., Taylor, R.T. & Oliva, P.F. (2019). Developing the curriculum (9th Ed). Pearson
The School District of Volusia County. (2022). Volusia County Schools. https://www.vcsedu.org/school-board
Vreuls, J., Koeslag‐Kreunen, M., van der Klink, M., Nieuwenhuis, L., & Boshuizen, H. (2022). Responsive curriculum development for professional education: Different teams, different tales. The Curriculum Journal, 33(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/curj.155