What is

Hidden Curriculum

Hidden Curriculum is a side effect of education where lessons are learned but not openly intended. Hidden curriculum often refers to norms, values and beliefs conveyed in the classroom and the social environment.

Hidden Curriculum often refers to knowledge gained in primary and secondary school settings, usually with a negative connotation where the school strives for equal intellectual development as a positive goal or objective. In this sense, a hidden curriculum reinforces existing social inequalities by educating students according to their class and social status. The unequal distribution of cultural capital in a society mirrors a corresponding distribution of knowledge among its students.