The European approach to curriculum development is different than that of the
United States. Europeans stressed a broadened perspective regarding the curriculum that
encompasses the global issues that students will inherit, such as the environment, health
and economics. Even at the higher education level, Papadopoulos (1995) believed that
many universities “merely pay lip service to the notion of interdisciplinary curriculum”
when in fact it needs to be the norm (p. 499). Later on, Bassett (2007) looked at European
higher education institutions more favorably in that they allow for students to specialize
in a field by taking fewer courses in general educational requirements. This allowed
students to not only specialize but also focus on the self-directional skills needed to be
successful in those areas. He further stated that Europe’s primary goal is to create
someone “with a scholarly penchant and at least some level of deep knowledge in one or
more academic disciplines” (p. 1). This European model is at odds with the foundational
philosophy of American education. David McCullough (2001), in his biography of John
Adams, reflected how Adams viewed the future of American education, by stating that
his sons, “will study mathematics, philosophy, geography, natural history…and
navigation…in order for their children to study, painting….tapestry and porcelain” (p.
236). This depicted our forefathers’ admirable thirst for a well-rounded curriculum that
has been manifested into a content driven instructional approach. In this century, it is still
debatable whether an eclectic secondary education, that is content rich, contributes to the
preparation of a successful citizen.