This essay traces the development of music in the public school curriculum and focuses on the Goals 2000 emphasis on music in life. Music has been a part of the high school curriculum since the Boston school system accepted it in 1838. While music education for much of this century has had difficulties defining itself and its role in the…

Presents excerpts from "Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies." Defines and explains 10 thematic strands that form the basis for the standards. Includes integrated content from history, geography, other social sciences, and the humanities. (CFR)

Discusses two related dilemmas: (1) the tension between the Western view of historical progress and the realities of modern society; and (2) the tension between old and new approaches to teaching and learning about the arts. Argues that the end result of implementing the Goals 2000 program might diminish the teaching of the arts as discrete…