To date, this blog has reviewed what the
viability of the liberated federalist construct is in guiding civics curricular
decisions. It has relied on the work of William
Schubert and his commonplaces of curriculum.
Schubert offers the following areas of concern: subject matter, students, teachers, and
milieu.[1] The first three of these have been addressed
and with this posting, the blog turns to milieu.
As
indicated, milieu is defined as the general social environment of the classroom
and the school site. For the purposes of
this account, it sees milieu as being affected by the following factors: the expectations of the school, the youth
culture found at the school site, and the socio-economic status of the students
at a given school.[2] Such groups as the American Psychological
Association place a great deal of emphasis on these factors in their description
of the sociological make-up of today’s schools in America.
Of
course, discussion of social factors in the United States, be it in schools or
any other institution, must consider the diversity of the nation’s social makeup:
Socioeconomic
status (SES) encompasses not just income but also educational attainment,
financial security, and subjective perceptions of social status and social
class. Socioeconomic status can encompass quality of life attributes as well as
the opportunities and privileges afforded to people within society.[3]
Add to this, one can consider the pluralistic
makeup of so many of the nation’s local communities, especially in its highly
populated urban centers.
While
the analysis here cannot be specific to every group and class, the points made
will hopefully be sensitive to the vast array this diversity creates. Specifically, the upcoming postings will provide
answers to the following questions:
·
How do current
expectations of schools affect the implementation of a curriculum guided by the
liberated federalist construct?
·
How does the
socio-economic status of a school affect the implementation of a curriculum
guided by the liberated federalist construct?
·
How does the youth
culture of a school affect the implementation of a curriculum guided by a liberated
federalist construct?
The next posting will address the expectations of
schools and begin by commenting on how the nation’s bias for the natural rights[4]
construct affects these expectations.
[1] William H. Schubert, Curriculum: Perspective, Paradigm, and Possibility
(New York, NY: MacMillan Publishing
Company, 1986). The commonplaces can be
defined as follows:
·
The subject matter refers to the academic
content presented in the curriculum.
·
The teacher is the professional instructor
authorized to present and supervise curricular activities within the classroom
setting.
·
Learners are defined as those individuals
attending school for the purpose of acquiring the education entailed in a
particular curriculum.
·
Milieu refers to the general cultural setting
and ambiance within the varied social settings found at the school site.
Upon reflection, these
commonplaces prove to helpful in asking insightful questions.
[2] “Education and Socioeconomic Status,” American
Psychological Association (n.d.), accessed October 21, 2023, https://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/education.
[3] Ibid.
[4] This blog has extensively reviewed the natural rights
construct. It has pointed out that that
construct has been the dominant view of how Americans perceive governance and
politics since the years following World War II. Its basic belief is that people have the
right to do as they please as long as they don’t deprive others of the same
right.
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