by Brandi Robinson

Created on: November 08, 2007

The curriculum theories of reconstructionism and perennialism are polar opposites. Reconstructionism focuses on society. They believe that the curriculum should be a method of change and social reform for society. Furthermore, they see the schools as the solution to different social crisis. On the other hand, perennialists believe that the curriculum should focus on the intellect by teaching the classical subjects. In addition, both theories have different views about the roles of the teacher, what subjects should be emphasized, and what knowledge should be imparted to students.

Theodore Brameld is considered to be the creator of the term reconstructivism in 1950. He stated that, " reconstructionism is a crisis philosophy, appropriate for a society in crisis, which is the essence of our society and international society today." This theory gained popularity during the progressive educational movement because people became unhappy with what our society was becoming and began calling for reform.
There are five goals for education in the reconstructionist philosophy: (1) to examine both the cultural heritage of the society and the rest of civilization, (2) confront controversial issues and discuss them, (3) dedicated to bringing about change within the society, (4) examine the future and the possible future realities, (5) participation of both the students and the teachers in interculturalism. While these goals are good they are also unrealistic. Reconstructionists are often seen as idealistic since their theory is based on a utopian society (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2004, Ch. 4). Students spend the majority of their day with their parents and therefore the impact that a teacher can have in one year of their life is minimal. Even all of their teachers could not completely erase a parent's influence. These goals could only be accomplished if the parents were a part of the effort. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
In order to accomplish their goals reconstructionists believe that the focus of the curriculum should be on the social sciences(Ornstein & Hunkins, 2004). These courses examine culture in economic, political and social aspects. These types of classes would allow for opportunities to discussion on societal issues. However, the sacrifice of other courses could be detrimental to our society. While teaching tolerance and understanding is important, it is equally important to learn math and science. Without having students that focus in these areas we

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