SHOULD THE CURRICULUM IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS BE

DETERMINED BY LOCAL GOVERNMENT OR BY THE STATE??

 I. Introduction

• What is a ‘Curriculum?’ In the legal and educational

world, "curriculum" refers to the "set of studies or
courses for a particular period, designated by a school or
branch of a school." This definition includes the complete
range of activities and instructional materials designed by
an educational institution to foster education.
Fundamentally, curriculum outlines what students are
supposed to learn and how to learn it. Because so many
people can reasonably disagree on these issues, a school's
curriculum fosters some of the most emotional and
contentious debates in education law.
 Introduction
• The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the role of our government about curriculum
innovation. The respective roles of local, state and federal governments in curriculum
innovation in public schools can be defined in general terms. Pupils and teachers meet at the
local level, where final judgments are made on details of content and method. But teachers
work within imposed limitations. The local school board has broad delegated authority to
structure their work. The state has legal responsibility for provision of suitable education for
all pupils, including minimum standards for instruction. The federal government touches the
curriculum lightly, with no direct legal authority to teach except in limited situations such as
the military academies and in service training for federal employees. The three levels of
government thus have somewhat differentiated areas of action, but they work for essentially
the same total educational purposes. Most of these purposes are achieved, if at all, at the
local level where teacher and pupil meet. The higher levels assist in making the learning
appropriately comprehensive. The best education for local purposes can scarcely be
improved upon for state purposes, and effective education at local and state levels includes
responsibility for teaching content that fully serves the national interest in education. Thus
our educational citizenship is a three-responsibility. There should be no serious internal
conflicts in purposes or in process for its local, state and national accomplishment.
 Introduction
• Every state is different and every state is the same. How can
that be? Because state governments have a lot of power to
make decisions for themselves.Yet at the same time, state
governments are all structured in nearly the same
way. Students discover that states have their own
governments and powers separate from the federal
government. They learn what those powers are, how they’re
different from the federal government’s powers, and that state
governments also give power to smaller, local governments.
Students critique a set of fictional state laws, create a story
involving state powers, and look at some differences between
state and local power. 
 II. Counterclaims
• When it comes about curriculum, some people in our
society prefer local government over state because there
is difference between locations in country and every
system or culture. Local government knows what fits in
their curriculum rather than the state. Additionally, local
government mostly focuses on public schools.
• Teachers believe that an organization on the local level
should be in control. The problem with this is lack of
continuity across the country with regard to education.
Children in different states may end up learning entirely
different things.
 III. Argument
• In America, Public Education or free schooling that is open to the public, is regulated
by three government entities. The federal government offers little input into schools,
though it provides funding that they can put strings on. On the opposite end the local
government offers a lot of input and deals with specific day-to-day teaching decisions
in a small, local area. And somewhere in the middle the state government offers
some input and helps guide education in each state. The federal government has
mostly a hands-off approach to schools, while local governments are very hands on.
Somewhere in the middle is the state government, which guides education without
making specific decisions about day-to-day operations. How does the state
government do that? There are thee specific roles that the state government plays in
education. You can remember these with the acronym ‘PAL.’ P is for ‘policymaker.’
One of the major things that the state government does is to set policy to guide
schools and districts within the state. For example, the state government might set
standards for what should be accomplished at each grade level.
 III. Argument

• A is for ‘advocate.’ Another major role that the

state government plays in education is as an
advocate, ensuring that schools are providing
a quality education for all students. For
example, the state government usually
establishes statewide assessments to hold
educators accountable for students’ learning.
 III. Argument

• L is for ‘liaison.’ The state government also

acts as a liaison between educators and the
public and politicians. For example, when the
public votes to change educational policy in a
state, it is the state government that actually
changes policy to reflect what the new law in
the state is.
 IV. Conclusions

• State governments have the authority to make decisions

and they have their own governments and ability separate
from the federal governments. And state have a
standardize education in the country and to have a same
standards of job application in all the local governments.
Each school district is administered and financed by the
community along with that district’s state government.
School districts with higher socioeconomic levels tend to
give more resources to their school. Standards and quality
of education consequently vary widely from state to state,
town to town, and even district to district.