Subject-Centered Curriculum

Throughout the 20th century, most curriculum specialists in the United States relied on three or four data sources for making curriculum decisions: the child, the society, learning processes, and subject matter. Although alternative curriculum development approaches or models have been advanced that relied on the first three sources, the subject areas have dominated school curriculum since the beginning of formal education in the United States. Subject-centered curriculum remains the most common type of curriculum organization in most states and in most local school districts today.

In subject-centered curricula, the subject matter itself serves as the organizing structure for what is studied and how it is studied. In its purest form, the curriculum for each subject-area is designed by subject-matter experts and is intended to be studied using subject-specific methods and tools of inquiry. Emphasis is on developing an understanding of the major facts, concepts, contexts, and processes specific to the subject. The curriculum focuses on the enduring ideas and practices from the subject area.

The subject-centered curriculum model can trace its genealogy back to medieval European universities. The Latin grammar schools of England were transplanted to colonial United States with their inherent subject-centered approach intact. Latin, Greek, and mathematics were the key subjects included in the curriculum of Latin grammar schools in the United States. Over time, the subjects considered important by society and schools have changed. For example, by 1894 when the Committee of Ten issued its report, models for secondary school curricula were proposed that did not include the study of Latin or Greek. Instead of classical languages, the study of modern languages, such as French or German, was suggested because of their commercial value to business. Even though the seven Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education were purposefully phrased to stimulate cross-subject thought and practice, they were unable to unseat the subject-centered curriculum from the secondary schools.

Even though the subject-centered curriculum has remained the dominant curriculum design in [Page 825]U.S. schools, some changes in how subject areas are defined have occurred over time. For example, before the 1920s, history was a distinct and separate subject. Economics, geography, and political science were also their own distinct separate subjects. However, by the 1930s social studies had become the generally accepted term for the broad field of study including history, economics, geography, and political science. Although a new subject areasocial studieshad emerged in an effort to help present a more coherent and integrated curriculum, history remained the dominant subject in the broad field.

The creation of subject-specific standards and an emphasis on standards-based curriculum have been the most recent developments in subject-centered curricula. Typically developed under the auspices of national or international subject-specific professional organizations, these standards attempt to codify the knowledge all K12 schoolchildren should experience during their educational experience. The standards writing tradition began in the 1990s after the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) released its first edition of standards for K12 mathematics education. The NCTM standards were quickly followed by standards in all other major school subjects, including English, social studies, science, physical education, fine arts education, and modern languages. Additionally, standards have been developed for life skills, information literacy, collaboration, and other supporting areas for learning.

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