K-12 Curriculum Development

During the month of October thousands of children will dress in costumes and attend fall festivals in their community. As we carve pumpkins and share ghost stories, it reminds me of the "hidden" curriculum in schools. The "hidden" curriculum is the unintended curriculum. "It defines what students learn from the physical environment, the policies, and the procedures of the school"
                                                                            (Glatthorn & Jailall, 2009, p. 110).

The main factors that seem to constitute the hidden curriculum are:

• Time Allocation
• Space Allocation
• Use of discretionary funds
• Student discipline
• Physical Appearance
• Student Activities Program
• Communication
• Power

Educators should analyze the “hidden” curriculum on a regular basis. When an analysis of the “hidden” curriculum has been completed, the principal and the teachers should identify those "hidden" messages that do not reflect the intended curriculum.

Source:
Glatthorn, A.A. & Jailall, J.M. (2009). The principal as curriculum leader: Shaping
       what is taught and tested.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Examples of the “Hidden” Curriculum in Schools

In a school that administers common formative assessments on a regular basis, a student may ask the teacher, “Why do we have tests every three weeks?” If the teacher replies, “We want all of our students to be prepared for the End-of-Grade tests in the spring”, then the “hidden” message will imply that the purpose for school is to prepare for a single test. The message schools want to send is that learning is an ongoing process and their intention is to develop lifelong learners. However, the answer that the teacher gave indicates that common formative assessments are intended to prepare students for a high-stakes test, rather than a method to assess students’ understanding of the current unit of study.

In a school that teaches social studies three days per week, a student may ask the teacher, “Why do we study social studies less than other subjects?” If the teacher replies, “Students won’t be tested in social studies until high school," then the student learns that social studies is not as important as the other subjects. If the student follows the teacher’s advice, then the student will not place much value on the following concepts, democracy, citizenship, courage, change, rights, responsibilities, voting, leadership, and government. This example demonstrates how the “hidden” curriculum interferes with the written and taught curricula in schools.

Questions for Administrators and Collaborative Teams

1.  What are the “hidden” messages that students receive in our school/school
     district?

2.  How do the current “hidden” messages interfere with the intended
     curriculum?

3.  What can teachers and administrators do to correct unintended messages?

4.  Does the “hidden” curriculum exist in our school, or is it a “ghost story”
     without supporting evidence?

5.  Is it possible to have a “hidden” curriculum every year since educators are
     humans and humans are not perfect?