Objectives:
When you finish studying this chapter, you should be able to:
- Describe why educational goals reflect changes in society.
- Distinguish between educational goals and objectives.
- Describe the changes in educational goals that have taken place since 1894 and explain the causes for these changes.
- Analyze the reasons for reports on excellence that have been published since the 1980s.
- Describe criticisms of the various national reports.
- Explain why educational goals seem to be constantly changing.
Focus and Refocus Questions:
When you finish studying this chapter, you should be able to answer the following questions from your textbook:
Focus Questions
- How do social forces combine with philosophies of education to shape our educational purposes?
- How are our goals and objectives formulated?
- What groups of students have been targeted for special treatment in recent decades?
- What are the major themes of recent policy reports on education?
- What goals will be most important in the future?
Refocus Questions
- What are some current examples of changes in society, knowledge, or beliefs about the nature of learners that you believe will have an effect on your goals as a teacher?
- How will you find out about the goals of your state and school district when you, as a teacher, plan your classroom goals and lesson objectives?
- Over the decades, educational goals have targeted different groups of students, such as the academically talented or at-risk students. Which group of students now seems to be the target of most educational goals?
- The national reports emphasize core curriculum subjects, tougher standards, and accountability. Which of these do you believe has most affected your career as a student? Which will be of most importance to you as a teacher?
- What is your top goal as a teacher? Ask this same question of several other educators and prospective educators. Compare and contrast your answer with theirs.
