Mandated public school curriculum as legislated in each of the fifty states as of July 1, 1988

The primary purpose of the study was to determine the public school curricula, kindergarten through grade twelve, as mandated by the legislature in each of fifty states as of July 1, 1988. A secondary purpose of the study was to determine trends that may be evident through a comparison of the findings of the study with the findings of two earlier studies, the Marconnit study (1966/67) and the Berry study (1977/78). Like the two earlier studies, statutes pertaining to mandated curriculum for each of the fifty states were utilized as the source of the findings.To accomplish the stated purposes, nine questions were posed to serve as the basis of research for the study. The nine questions addressed the following topics: (1) subjects of required instruction, (2) grade levels of instruction, (3) time allotted to instruction, (4) performance objectives associated with a subject, (5) presentation of detailed subject content, (6) geographic, population, or state admittance patterns associated with the subjects, (7) subject related requirements which are unique to individual states, (8) states which have granted complete control of the curriculum to another state entity, and (9) trends which were evident from a comparison of the study findings with the findings of Marconnit (1966/67) and Berry (1977/78).Three hundred ninety-seven subjects were identified in the study. Marconnit (1966/67) identified ninety-nine subjects and Berry (1977/78) identified one hundred ninety-nine subjects. An increase in the number of states specifying grade levels, time allotments, performance objectives, and subject content was also noted. Unlike the two earlier studies, four subjects, government, health, safety education, and fire prevention, were observed to be associated with particular geographic regions. Two hundred thirty-seven subjects were identified as being unique to individual states. Only one state, Montana, was identified as having granted control of the curriculum to another state entity. In comparing the findings of the three studies, the number of subjects contained within six of seven subject categories increased. The six subject categories were: government; economics and geography; basic skills and language; mathematics and science; health, physical education, and safety; and miscellaneous subjects. Only the subject category related to the arts remained relatively constant.Department of Educational Administration and SupervisionThesis (D. Ed.