Fischer (1971, p. 561) states, "Schooling will sooner or later reflect significant changes in the culture." The present educational system is no exception. Such readily apparent trends and practices in contemporary education as the following are direct outgrowths of the major movements in contemporary society in general: (1) pluralism; 5 (2) individualization; (3) rejection of earlier values; (4) consideration of the "total" student; (5) student desire to participate in governing the school; (6) student lack of interest in school curriculum; (7) emphasis on "how" to learn, not "what" to learn; (8) taxpayer and parent reactions against high taxes and low results; and (9) competency-based education.
First, there is a great deal of disagreement and turmoil in schools just as in society as a whole. This situation can be traced in some respects to the desire to accommodate a pluralistic culture in American society. In Fischer's (1971, p. 561) words, "In the final analysis, in an open, pluralistic culture, schools must learn to function in the midst of controversy and conflict." In addition, the patterns that different groups would like to follow in establishing their ideal educational program depend to a large extent upon their philosophy. Based on their philosophies, educators can be termed romantics, structuralists , or social reformers. The romantics would choose individual freedom in learning as their number one priority. They object to the 1984 trend of social engineering; they question acceptance of authority, conformity instead of individuality, the use of competition and grades to coerce student effort, and the imposition of program content that may have no personal meaning for the student. The structuralists would change the organization and control of the schools. They urge integration, compensatory education, assistance for the poverty stricken, community schools, and the voucher plan. 6 The social reformers would use education to transform society. They see the schools as the means toward the improvement of society in general (Shields, 1973).
The stress on the individual has been reflected in the schools. Many
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schools have attempted to develop programs and classes geared toward individual needs rather than group needs. Individualization of instruction in general and specific programs, such as Individually Guided Education (Klausmeier et al., University of Wisconsin) and Individually Prescribed Instruction (Glaser et al., University of Pittsburgh), are a direct outgrowth of this influence from society as a whole. Within the schools there is much greater emphasis on the freedom to be oneself than was true in the past. One now hears a great deal about student rights and the need to respect the democratic rights of students.
The rejection of many attitudes and values formerly accepted by students has resulted in marked changes in student behavior. As the trend toward turning away from the adult cultural patterns crept down into the secondary schools and into the elementary schools, the changes in dress codes were reflective of inner changes as well. For example, a strong reaction against requirements of any kind is a basic part of the typical student attitude. In some areas alternative schools and/or free schools have been established. Many students rejected the Puritan work ethic as well. Discipline has deteriorated in many schools, and many students take their studies less seriously. The average score on the SAT examinations has dropped each year for ten consecutive years. In 1974 approximately half of the entering freshmen at the University of California at Berkeley were required to take remedial English. Growing numbers of students were graduating from high school with a reading ability below fourth-grade level.
A trend correlated closely to pluralism, individuality, and changing values has been the increased attention being given to the "total" student, not just his cognitive ability. Researchers and educators are attempting to consider and explore the components of the affective domain and the effects each component may have on personality, social adjustment, and academic achievement. All student factors appear to be interrelated, and it is becoming more and more apparent that the school and the teacher need to consider the entire student if maximum success is to be achieved.
Students are voicing more and more the desire to participate in the governing of the school. They are given more freedom and more opportunities to express their opinions than in the past. No longer are students willing to accept as a matter of fact and in an unquestioning fashion what they were told in school.
In spite of their increased participation in the decision-making processes of the schools, many students still seem uninterested in the offerings of the school. Many experts attribute this lack of interest to the outmoded school programs and feel that interest would be increased if the curriculum was more related to the students' world. Some people are saying that in order to become a part of the students' lives the educational program must expand beyond the walls of the school building. They emphasize that school and learning should
not be considered as being synonomous, and they urge the "deschooling" of society. 7
The contemporary world is changing fast. Will what a student learns now be of any real value in twenty years? If not, the course content is not nearly so important as the skills that the student is acquiring. In short, learning how to learn in a rapidly changing society is infinitely more beneficial than specific knowledge the student may be gaining. In order to implement this goal, educators are calling for instructional programs in which students are active participants in what and how they learn.
A negative reaction has been growing among parents and taxpayers in response to what has been occurring in the schools and to the requests for increased financial aid to the schools. Taxpayers are resisting higher taxes more and more and demanding accountability from the educational system. Schooling is costing more, but student achievement and discipline have apparently dropped. Those who have vested interests in the schools, i.e., those who pay the bills and those whose children attend the schools, want to know why. In response to this reaction some states are adopting programs of competency-based education. Under this program, measurable behavioral descriptions are written that specify exactly what responsibilities and duties everyone on the administrative staff and faculty have. The objective is to create a tightly knit system that can be held accountable for the students who complete its instructional program. By preparing written behavioral objectives, the educational system can specify what the teachers should be doing and what the students should be able to do.
Many educators reject competency-based education as being a technological, industrial model that has no place in the educational system. They feel that the goals of education far exceed the narrow limits of behavioral objectives. In their opinion, the education of a student simply is too vast and too complex to be stated in behavioral terms, and schools that already have many characteristics of the mass-production factory system should not adopt additional industrial practices. The question of how to insure quality education with regard to high-level cognitive abilities, attitudes, and values seems to have no readily available solutions at the present time.