Curriculum Reform in American Public High Schools and Its Impact on Minority Students

Abstract

It seems like the high school curriculum reform effort in the United States has come full circle. While itsdevelopment has taken place over time, statistical differentials in academic performance amongracial/ethnic groups makes one question, the adequacy of the modern day high school curriculum inaddressing the needs of all segments of society. After all, progress in the evolution of the high schoolcurriculum has been slow and no matter what changes were made to it, there always seemed the needfor further development. The early stages of educational reform can be traced back to the earlynineteenth century that saw the division of the course of study into different subjects at different gradelevels (Kliebard, 1987, p.2). The mid-twentieth century marked the National Curriculum ReformMovement which introduced academic rigor to the school curriculum (p.3).