Toward a Connected Core Curriculum

One shortcoming of the academic curriculum is its tendency to emphasize the integrity of the separate subjects and to neglect, even ignore, connections between and among subjects as well as between students' academic experiences and those beyond school. Unfortunately, evidence indicates that recent high school students, who have completed more academic subjects than their predecessors, increasingly view academic schoolwork as less interesting, less meaningful, and less likely to be useful later in life. This trend points to the imperative of providing students opportunities in the core curriculum to connect their experiences between and among the separate subjects and to connect their academic experiences to life beyond school. These kinds of connections can be achieved through planned opportunities to integrate and apply subject matter. This article summarizes major rationales for, approaches to, and resources about creating a more-connected core curriculum. The author first looks more closely at the subject-centered curriculum.