State leaders have long viewed the selection of curriculum and materials as local decisions that fall outside the state policy orbit. Yet state learning standards and classroom materials often do not align, creating inequitable opportunities for all students to master state standards. Through a variety of policies, states are increasingly seeking to increase the adoption of high-quality curriculum. A handful are requiring or encouraging schools and districts to adopt quality curriculum and gearing professional learning toward using quality materials to improve student achievement. Authors in this issue draw lessons from these varied state strategies and encourage state leaders to apply what they have learned from the successes in improved reading and math curriculum to other critical subject areas.
Articles
What Role Do States Play in Selecting K-12 Textbooks?
By Julia Kaufman and Sy DoanA network of states move the needle on quality without usurping local control.
States Take Many Paths to Advance High-Quality Curriculum and Align Professional Learning
By Jocelyn Pickford and Kate PoteetState boards can take a lesson from the work of leading states.
The Unrealized Promise of High-Quality Instructional Materials
By David SteinerOvercoming barriers to faithful implementation requires changing teacher and leader mind-sets.
The State of K-12 Science Curriculum
By Eric Hirsch and Sam ShawWhile the availability of aligned, high-quality materials lags what science standards demand, states can press the market for better ones.
How Background Knowledge Builds Good Readers and Why Knowledge Building ELA Curricula Are Vital
By Ruth WattenbergA common base of content knowledge and coherent, comprehensive, and sequential curricula to deliver it are prerequisites for reading comprehension. Most students are not getting what they need.
Opinion
A Trip to the Theater
By Andrew RotherhamAs you engage in standards making on your state board, expect no credit, but keep your head down and stay focused on substance.
Doing More by Doing Less
By Lu YoungState boards ought to be reckoning with how to value and support teaching as a profession and an art.
Five Change Management Principles Can Spur Uptake of Quality Curriculum
By Paolo DeMariaChange management requires authentic, context-informed practices that are more social and emotional than technical in nature.
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