CHAPTER 15: Beane’s Integrative Curricular Program

For the past 30 years, James A. Beane has worked tirelessly to develop and implement a curriculum for use in middle schools that is germane to the needs and interests of young adolescents (10 to 15 year olds). In doing so, he has developed an integrated curriculum that is age appropriate and that has, at its core, the dual focus of (a) the concerns early adolescents and (b) major social issues at play in the larger world (Beane, 1990). Although the concept of an integrated curriculum is not new, Beane’s conception is unique in that it places a heavy emphasis on the concept of a democratic education and one that is truly applicable to the unique needs (social, emotional, cognitive, and physical) of young adolescents. The heart of his conception of such a curriculum is captured in his definition of what he deems a “general education”: “General education ought to be of the kind based upon personal and social concerns” (Beane, 1990, p. 36).