Reflections on Curricular Change

Abstract

Within any national perspective, curricular change may be viewed as evolutionary, with curricula evolving in ways responsive to the surrounding political and intellectual environments. There is, however, less global coherence than any intra-national perspective might suggest. Historical and political contexts matter, just as ecological niches do in evolutionary biology. This chapter begins with a meta-level discussion describing the consequential nature of (typically national) values, goals, and cultural context and traditions as shapers of curricula. It then proceeds with a discussion of curricular trends in the United States over the past decades, and thumbnail descriptions of changes in the Netherlands, Great Britain, Germany, France, China, and Japan. A concluding discussion reflects on the diversity of curricular directions worldwide, and suggests some ways in which we can profit from it.