| In the 1980's, reports of declining educational quality led states to put educational reform at the top of their political agendas. In 1985, the Pennsylvania Department of Education developed guidelines for the arts and humanities curriculum and mandated a graduation requirement for all secondary schools. The purpose of this study was to determine if the principles of curriculum development were followed in Pennsylvania. These principles were: delineating a curriculum problem; drawing upon the body of research, conceptualization and evaluation in developing strategies for dealing with the problem, including previous work done by the state in this area; the involvement of teachers and supervisors in the development of the curriculum; and evaluating the outcomes.;The study found that the problem dealt with by the commission was strictly regulatory; a curriculum problem was not determined prior to developing the guidelines. The guidelines were influenced by socio-political forces: A Nation At Risk and the state response Turning the Tide, An Agenda For Excellence in Pennsylvania Schools. Research showed that the guidelines did not follow the findings of the established body of research in the field of curriculum. Furthermore, the principles of curriculum development, as outlined in the writings of Tyler, Taba, Tanner and Tanner, and others in the curriculum field, were not followed in the development of the Pennsylvania guidelines. The framers of the guidelines were unaware of previous work done in the state on the curriculum problem. Teachers and supervisors were not directly involved in this project and many did not receive copies of the guidelines. Furthermore, developers of these guidelines were uncertain how this mandate was being implemented. Research showed that some school districts were developing curriculum. Since this is a mandate, the graduation requirement is being met. However, in other school districts previously established courses are being utilized in lieu of newly developed curriculum. The committee did not include a plan for evaluation in the guidelines; consequently, the criterion for evaluation was not met. The study concluded: the principles of curriculum development were not followed. |
