Education - Curriculum, Who should decide?

Stifler's - posted on 12/12/2010

The Education Department. Maybe yes to the core values like if they are a Christian and don't want to read Harry Pothead or be taught about Jesus. It's called freedom of religion. I think education should be secular anyway.

Kimberly - posted on 12/10/2010

With 30 some odd students every year, could you imagine the chaos if every parent stepped up to exercise a right to veto or add certain things in the curriculum?



Plus, some people are just plain weird. When I was teaching, I had a parent complain that her child was allowed to take apart Lego people during a rainy day recess (she said it was violence) and that the class was told that smoking is unhealthy. I would have had to strangle this lady if she had the right to determine curriculum for my class.

Laura - posted on 12/10/2010

Most school districts DO have experts that review and examine new curriculum. Those recommendations usually go to actual elected School Boards (made up of educators AND parents who run for and are elected to the posts). These School Boards then accept or reject the recommendations for the curriculum. School Board meetings are open to the public--meaning parents! These meetings allow parents to voice their concerns directly to the folks that make the decisions. HOWEVER, even if parents want something in their school, the LAW needs to be factored into the Boards' decisions! Established federal and state laws require certain things in curriculum and ban others from schools. Many parents don't like these rules but the School Boards are required, by law, to uphold them. Here's a recent example from a community near where I live:

A small public school disctrict was found to be holding Bible classes during regular school hours. Parents could opt out of these classes; one mother chose this for her 1st grade child. This child was, at first, placed outside in the hallway, unsupervised! He was then moved to the library under the watchful eye of the librarian. During this time the student was not receiving any lessons. The mother of this child then procceeded to complain to the School Board and threatened a lawsuit. After many heated School Board meetings where parents defended this Bible class during school hours, the School Board terminated this class. Why? Because it was found to be in violation of Federal and state laws. The Board's own lawyer told them and all of the parents present that a lawsuit would NOT be winnable for them; the School disctrict would lose a LOT of tax- payer dollars to this family if the lawsuit procceeded. The vast majority of the parents WANTED this curriculum. Yet laws established by the Federal and state governments found this curriculum to "illegal" as taught in a public school. There are legal options for this class, yet the parents of this school district want it IN school as part of the curriculum. It won't happen though. The School Board had to uphold the laws above what the parents wanted.

As an Engilsh Literature major, I too, was greatly influenced by books that we read in class. By law, teachers need to provide "opt out" alternatives to the more questionable or contriversial reading material. In my high school AP English class there was only one student that used this option (religious reasons). Using this option simply requires good communication between the parents and the teacher. Most teachers I know are very understanding and willing to work with parents. Care does need to be taken, as pointed out previously, that the student isn't opting out of most of the curriculum. Again, good communication can work toward solving that problem, too.

Barb - posted on 12/10/2010

Amber said:
I think that a panel of experts on education should be the ones planning the schools' cirriculums. Parents should have access to this board though. It might help parents to understand WHY things are being chosen, then they might not object. Parents could voice their opinions to that board, but the end decision would still be up to the experts.

You know Amber, this is an interesting idea. And with the Internet not a far fetched one. It is easy to have internet based "town hall" meetings where parents could log in from the comfort of their laptops in their living rooms and chiming in via chat boxes with viable ideas and inputs. They could take what they wanted or nothing at all but it would give parents an idea of participation and an insight into what was being prepared and why for the sake of their children's education.

Sara, Thank you for elaborating on that. My mind just wasn't grasping that. I also agree, it needs to be about quality, not just quantity. It seems like they just shove them full of info long enough for the test and then that's good enough, onto the next thing. They just retain it, they don't really LEARN it.

Barb - posted on 12/10/2010

Schmoopy, The second link i posted was about christian parents that became outraged because the assigned reading book called Jesus a wine guzzling vagrant socialist.

I'm not christian, or hold any specific religion myself but it was obvious they were outraged because of the anti christian language in the book.

This is what i mean by "core values".

Students will read/learn things at school that are different than what their parents believe or hold true at home.

Amber - posted on 12/10/2010

I think that a panel of experts on education should be the ones planning the schools' cirriculums. Parents should have access to this board though. It might help parents to understand WHY things are being chosen, then they might not object. Parents could voice their opinions to that board, but the end decision would still be up to the experts.



If a parent has a reason that they would like their child to opt out, it should be allowed. But if you think you're child should be opting out of half the cirriculum, it probably is a better idea to have them home schooled or put in a private school.



@Schmoopy- I agree that we pay taxes that funnel into the schools. But usually the majority of the money is from local businesses in the area of the school. They pay more taxes.

And it has also been stated that you can add anything you feel is necessary to the schools' cirriculums at home. Then you're child gets the rounded education you deserve, just as our children will.

Schmoopy - posted on 12/10/2010

I'm not one to accept what's being handed to me without question. I always think it through - especially where my children are concerned. I'm surprised to see so many parents here who feel they don't have the right to give feedback where their children's schooling is concerned. We pay taxes - essentially we pay the salaries of the teachers and administrators. I definitely think we should at least have the right to discuss it with the teacher.

But, Barb, I'm wondering what you mean about "core values." I do think the school has a right to teach certain things - literature, scientific concepts - that might fly in the face of some religious teachings. And that, I think, is totally legitimate. That's why there's home schooling.

Isobel - posted on 12/09/2010

The whole reason I love literature is because of Catcher in the Rye...should I not have been allowed to read it because some parents didn't like the word fuck?

Good Day! - posted on 12/09/2010

April said that maybe parents should be allowed to add to the curriculum. I should have said, "teachers don't get to ALL the material." There's always several chapters in the text book left untouched at the end of the school year. The curriculums are already so jam packed that it's nearly impossible to cover everything...so my point was there is no room for parents to add to the curriculum.

Personally, I think the curriculums need to be more about quality and getting deeper into material, instead of quantity and getting a very shallow (at best) understanding of what is being taught.

Barb - posted on 12/09/2010

Sara, what do you mean? "Most teachers don't get to the material that's already in the curriculum."

Could you elaborate a little more on this please?

Good Day! - posted on 12/09/2010

Parents adding to the curriculum? Most teachers don't get to the material that's already in the curriculum.

Sherri - posted on 12/09/2010

Too Bad April. The public school system can not accommodate every parent's wishes. They must teach a certain amount of curriculum in a certain amt of days. If your child has issues or needs extra support then they have that support for them in public schools and should be addressed in a IEP for that child. If parents don't like it then they can homeschool.

Barb - posted on 12/09/2010

I agree. I think the curriculum is set by a board of educators that specialize in child development. Other people's children should not have to learn what timmy's mom thinks is right or wrong.

However, in the news, are stories about parents going up against the school about the curriculum.

In Detroit MI a father sued the school over a slavery lesson
from: http://blogs.findlaw.com/law_and_life/20...

""From Slave Ship to Freedom Road" insists that students think about history, rather than simply learn the facts.

This is an excerpt from a Scholastic.com review of the book "From Slave Ship to Freedom Road," which was used to teach 5th graders during a slavery lesson for Black History Month in a Detroit-area school. But one parent found the book to be a form of discrimination. Jamey Petree, father of Jala Petree, is suing the Michigan school for racial discrimination, racial harassment, emotional distress and creating a hostile environment (among other claims) for the teacher's use of the book in class

And this mom who has become outraged over this book selection from her son's finance class,
from: http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?...

""Nickel and Dimed" is a first-person account of author Barbara Ehrenreich's failed attempts to make a living at various minimum wage jobs across the country. Written in response to 1996 welfare reform, the book offers a serious critique of the current economic system, which Ehrenreich argues preys on the poor.

"This fall, Dennis and Aimee Taylor complained about the book to the school district, citing its occasional use of obscene dialogue and anti-capitalist message."

What are your thoughts about these cases?


I have to say, i still believe the curriculum should be decided by a board of educators and not the parents and i'm encouraged to see the others moms on here think the same thing. Even if i don't always agree with what my kids have learned at school i can say at home "This is what some people believe, but this is what we believe, everyone is different and that is okay. Respect them like you want to be respected."

Melissa - posted on 12/09/2010

Can you imagine the whirlwind of debate if parents were allowed this right? If someone doesn't like the curriculum, they can change their child's school. I know people who needed to do this a few times before they were happy and it worked.

Lacye - posted on 12/09/2010

Yes parents do know the children best, but a lot of times, especially in public schooling, the teachers have a certain curriculum that they have to abide by or they themselves will get in trouble. They have to teach certain things. That is why a lot of times parents are pushed to the back burner in public schooling.

April - posted on 12/09/2010

I don't think it is unreasonable to allow parents to have SOME say. A few of you have said, "No. If they don't like it, they can opt out" or "that's what homeschooling is for". I'm looking at it a little bit differently. Parents are the ones that know their children best, what they are capable of and what they are interested in. Maybe some of these parents have something to ADD to the curriculum.

Amanda - posted on 12/08/2010

I don't think parents should even try to control the curriculum. It's there because pretty much experts have designed it a certain way, for kids to learn at a certain pace, to understand things at a certain age, and to comprehend it at a certain maturity level. Parents teach their child at home. Not at school. I'm thankful for them. However if I wasn't pleased with something I'd let them know. Like if my son was falling behind in reading I'd recommend he get a tutor, or some extra work so we could help more at home. Or math or any other subject for that matter. Other than that leave it to the school systems.

Catherine - posted on 12/08/2010

I teach high school English, and I will say that I am more than willing to listen to parental concerns about curriculum. It has come up very rarely in my teaching career, and in every instance I have been able to assuage parental concerns through advanced screenings or materials and discussions about how they will be used in the classroom and the reasons behind their selections. If there is ever a situation where many parents are objecting to a specific piece of curriculum, I think it would behoove the school to reconsider whether or not it is appropriate. This is something that, as a teacher, I've struggled with quite a bit, and traditionally I've erred on the side of caution and avoided literature that I think would create too much of an issue.

I am more than willing to allow a student to opt out of material the parent finds objectionable; however, I am not willing to change the curriculum for everyone else based on one family's beliefs. Also, although this has never happened to me, I would get concerned if I had one student opting out frequently, as at that point I may see it as interfering with that student's education and my ability to teach.

Do I think grade level matters? No, I don't. I think parents of younger kids are more likely to be involved, as most parents of my high schoolers have no idea what their child is reading, but that being said, I think it should be dealt with the same way regardless of grade level.

My one gripe with parental interference would be parents who complain about a book they haven't read or a movie they haven't seen. It is always important to know what you're complaining about before you complain.

Lacye - posted on 12/08/2010

No, I don't think the parents have a right on what they teach at school. To me, if you want your child to learn things different than what they have at the schools, then you need to home school them. (note here: not saying you in particular just in general.) :)

Kimberly - posted on 12/08/2010

Current federal school law does not give parents the right to decide curriculum for the entire school (although there are a couple of charter schools that choose curriculum based on a voting system the parents are involved in). If you object to a curriculum however, the law protects a parent's rights to opt out their child for that subject/material. School districts must also have in place a method for parents to request a particular curriculum be reviewed for suitability.

Amy - posted on 12/08/2010

I don't think parent's should have that much say but if they are learning or doing something too crazy I think it's there right to voice there concern. In general though, I don't think I remember anything in school that was bad so parent's shouldn't be complaining about everything a kid does.

Sherri - posted on 12/08/2010

No parents can not interfere with the school's curriculum if they don't like what is being taught they can opt to homeschool.

Rebecca - posted on 12/08/2010

Absolutely not. Parents can push their own interpretation at home. That is what parenting is about.