Heading Toward a National Curriculum
Ivan A. Shibley, D.Ed.
Director of Clinical Practices at The University of Scranton
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
When our forefathers wrote the United States Constitution, establishing schools and providing students with an education were functions reserved to the state. As the years have passed, the federal government has become more actively involved in education. President Lyndon Johnson appeared to try to expand the role of the federal government with the enactment of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). States still maintained the right to establish and manage the system of public education, but massive amounts of money started to flow from the federal government. States and public schools were not required to accept the federal dollars but if the federal revenue monies were accepted, specific federal regulations followed. Since 1965 congress has re-enacted ESEA in various formats. The US Department of Education was established in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter with the understanding that public education was still a state’s right. President George W. Bush proposed and enacted No Child Left Behind in 2001 with support of the United States Congress and United States Senate.
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
No Child Left Behind was built around standards-based reform. Academic standards were developed and implemented by each individual state. Each state developed high stakes assessments to provide a measure for student success. The major focus provided for the proficiency of all students in mathematics and language arts by the end of 2014 as demonstrated by student results on a statewide, federally approved test. Schools around the nation responded by revising their curricula to align with state academic standards and the corresponding state assessments. Typically, schools stressed those standards that were to be tested based upon the questions developed for the state assessment as well as teaching students appropriate test-taking strategies. This was not considered moving toward a national curriculum, but states did change standards, curricula and course offerings so all students could be successful on the mandated assessment. The very fact that public schools had to post a yearly report card for public view demonstrating ADEQUATE YEARLY PROGRESS for all students caused schools to revise and rebuild their existing curriculum. No school wanted to see a statement about the student body that reflected poorly on the school and the staff.
ESEA Re-Authorization: A Blueprint for Reform of 2010
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, at the urging of President Obama, requested and received legislative re-enactment of ESEA on March 13, 2010. This was called ESEA Re-Authorization: A Blueprint for Reform. A major component of the re-authorization was a federal grant entitled Race To The Top. Thus far, the federal government has awarded over $4 billion to 11 states and the District of Columbia. The most striking segment of this re-authorization is the Common Core Standards. If states decide to adopt these Common Core Standards and adapt the curriculum to include the standards, public schools will have moved even closer to a national curriculum. Currently, more than 40 states have adopted these standards with full implementation occurring over the next few years. Discussions are proceeding related to the development of assessments aligned with the Common Core Standards. Eventually, the assessments may be adopted by individual states, by clusters of states, or by all participating states.
The right to a free and appropriate public education has been maintained at the state level since 1776. Looking carefully at the historical involvement of the federal government there is little doubt that with each re-enactment of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act public schools are moving closer and closer to a national curriculum.
