The Integrated Curriculum: A Reality Check

It seems safe to wager that, by the end of this century, educators in the great majority of school districts will be attempting to educate their middle school youngsters in congruence with propositions similar to those enumerated in the National Middle School Associ tion's 1995 This We Believe. According to that document, developmental^ responsive middle level schools pro vide, among many other things, "curriculum that is chal lenging, integrative, and exploratory." An appropriate curriculum, NMSA asserts, is one that actively engages and sustains the interest of the students, helps students make sense of their life experiences, and assists them in developing toward becoming well-rounded adults. Could anyone question the desirability of such a curricu lum for middle school learners? Not me. It is not my intention, in this statement or else where, to challenge the value of such a clearly beneficial learning experience or to undermine the chances for widespread implementation of such experiences. I emphatically do not wish to be identified as opposed to innovation in, or integration of, the middle school cur riculum. My desire is, instead, to have the opposite effect: to assist middle school educators in the develop ment and implementation of relevant, realistic, and rig orous curriculum experiences whenever possible. I have nothing but the greatest respect for my col league and friend Jim Beane and the work he and others such as Gordon Vars and Chris Stevenson have done in