"What we teach isn't some sidebar in American education. It is American education."—David Steiner, Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy
Mike Schmoker references this quote in his article in this issue, in which he pleads for coherent, teacher-written curriculum within schools to be the norm. Schmoker and Steiner aren't alone in believing that the right choice of curriculum—the content and skills focused on and texts and materials used—is at the heart of high-quality K–12 education. As the variety of viewpoints in this issue implies, curriculum's importance may be one of the few things educators agree on about it.
Yet these articles also raise a lot of questions—and questions are a great place for each school to start in finding or creating the curriculum that will best serve its teachers and students.
One question is who should be involved in creating curriculum—and through what process? Lynne Munson of Great Minds notes how important it is to give teachers a leading role in developing curriculum, alongside subject matter experts, as her group did in creating a preK–12 math curriculum for New York State. Evan C. Gutiérrez describes a curriculum-design process that involves several stakeholders, showing how a Chicago school he led melded the ideas of teachers, a subject-matter expert, and a "mediator" to create units that introduced students in this school for Latino youth to Latino thinkers and texts. And Heidi Hayes Jacobs and Allison Zmuda share a "storyboarding" process teachers can use to shape units on their own or as departments, ending up with a curriculum "journey" that invites students into that learning journey across grade levels.
Several voices also consider what role families should have in choosing what a school should teach—and how challenges over topics like racism in U.S. history or challenges to books can be approached. Parents and other stakeholders are now weighing in heavily on what should or shouldn't be taught in schools. Pieces by Daniel D. Liou and Kelly Deits Cutler, Lauren Porosoff, and Schmoker address this question with solid and nuanced advice. Meanwhile, literacy expert Kimberly N. Parker speaks as a parent of a Black boy, lamenting how the writing curriculum in her son's 3rd grade classroom stifles him.
Another question is whether it's best for teachers to use a common curriculum—so all teachers in a content area or grade level teach the same content in sequence and use the same texts—or for each teacher to plan their own units and choose their own texts or materials. Teacher Erin Nerlino explains the advantages of teachers adapting a pre-set curriculum or curating their own: "The challenge and beauty of curating curriculum is that there is a vast array of materials to choose from. … We must select the most promising resources for our learners while considering student development level, engagement potential, state standards, and district learning goals." Sonja Cherry-Paul connects the idea of teachers adapting curricula to "culturally responsive curriculum writing practices," which engage students in issues relevant to their cultural backgrounds or lives. Engaging curriculum is essential to accelerating students' post-pandemic learning, she says, especially for those from marginalized groups—and more effective than talking about "learning loss."
Other authors, like Schmoker, believe strongly it's best for all educators in a department to create a common curriculum (with some space set aside for each teacher's favorite texts or projects).
A final key question is how to ensure quality in curriculum, especially with the proliferation of free/inexpensive teaching resources available online. Amber M. Northern and Morgan Polikoff share research on the quality of online educational resources and tips for improving selections, while Craig Simmons explains how to create a team to vet resources teachers are interested in.
Come to think of it, in addition to questions, this issue provides good possible answers about using high-quality curriculum!
