Searching The "Golden Rule"– Curriculum Articulation In The Romanian National Curriculum

2017 is the year that marks a quarter of a century of a curriculum system that has at its centre the concept of a National Curriculum, and is based on a curriculum framework and the programs of study. This period is characterized by the search for the best approach to develop normative document that governs educational practice. The focus of the articulation of the Romanian National Curriculum changed during this period, each new generation of programs of study putting forth a different perspective on the major components of the National Curriculum, with the overall aim to change teaching practices. But, the increase in mandatory requirements is not followed by a significant change in teaching and learning practices, since it influences the degree to which teachers can have a creative and adaptive reading of the curricular requirements. The body of evidence is constituted by a documentary survey (the Romanian National Curriculum of the last two decades), the analysis in local research trends on the topic of classroom practice and on the quality of the curricula, and interviews with teachers that taught in accordance to all generations of curricula. Initial results indicate a gap between the stated intentions of the National Curriculum and teachers representation of the curriculum. The source of this difference is the result of the widespread perception that the National Curriculum is able to solve all perceived problems. Thus, more discreet but powerful factors (mainly at school level) tend to be ignored.