“A nation should require all of its students to study the same national curriculum until they enter college.”Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the recommendation and explain your reasoning for the pos

There is a great diversity of policies related to educational curriculum in the different countries. In several countries, there is no national curriculum that dictates the courses that students are required to take to graduate from high school and no guidelines are instituted by the government about how the different courses should be taught to students. In other countries, such as Greece a national curriculum is instituted accompanied by policies about the materials that should be taught to students. Advantages and disadvantages exist in both systems of educations. However, the existence of a national curriculum developed by pundits with deep knowledge about the courses and that contains a number electives among which the students are allowed to choose to attend, is potential the best solution to guide education of students before their entrance in college.

First and foremost, the existence of a national curriculum guarantees that all students have been exposed to foundational ideas that form the background for advanced knowledge in more specialized fields. Courses, such as mathematics and language constitute the building blocks upon which students can be based to develop expertise in almost all disciplines. Basic knowledge of mathematics advances skills such as critical thinking and logic which are necessary in all fields. A wide range of disciplines borrow mathematical properties to flourish. For example, in psychology statistics is an indispensable tool that allows for inference. Without it psychology would not be separated, from philosophy and the study of the human mind would be restricted to mere observation. Even disciplines that do not directly use mathematics to test hypotheses, require qualities that can only be developed through training the mind in analyzing patterns and test assumptions. Art is an example of such a discipline where attention to detail and estimation differentiate an admirable piece of art from a haphazard drawing.

The development of language skills at the time enables the clear articulation of ideas and the adept communication of these ideas to other people. Students who never had an adequately developed language course most likely lag behind their peers in communication skills. Communication skills provide a means through which ideas take shape and can be challenged or hailed. For example, if a physics student has an idea about how to test the string theory, but he/she cannot articulate this idea and convey it to collaborators there is chance that little attention will be payed to it and potential will never see the light of testing. In addition, an expert talking about the deleterious effects of a chemical substance about which the general population should cautious, but without the skills to convey his findings in an understandable way no policies would be developed and the public would not be properly protected.

However, the establishment of a national curriculum should contain a number of electives that students can decide to attend based on their interests and career orientations. Students need the flexibility to explore subjects that may be of interest and based on that make a final choice about their future careers. Therefore, should be exposed to a variety of stimuli individualized to their needs.

In conclusion, a national curriculum comprising both basic courses that prepare them for any future endeavor and electives more selected by the individual student will give the students the foundational knowledge along with a more specialized knowledge that fits their individual needs.