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Leading Curriculum Development
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Leading Curriculum Development



December 2008 | 192 pages | Corwin
'A book that every practitioner should own. The author has managed to describe the complex process of curriculum development in plain English.' - John Lundt, Professor of Educational Leadership University of Montana

Develop a curriculum that can transform an ordinary school into a school of excellence! Curriculum development, an essential part of educational leadership, helps schools establish purpose, define activities, and guide decision making. This thought-provoking how-to resource helps leaders make sound choices and develop constructive policies as they guide a school team through this critical school improvement effort. Written by an expert in the field, this handbook introduces educational leaders to dynamic curriculum leadership and a curriculum development process that leads to highly successful school programs. The author demonstrates how administrators can adapt curriculum to meet their school's changing needs, incorporate emerging technologies, and reflect new and creative ways of thinking about education. The book walks educational leaders through the process, showing them how to:

Move beyond maintenance and management to address short- and long-term school reform

Create a school curriculum team

Establish a regular curriculum cycle of analysis, design, implementation, and evaluation

Develop a path for curriculum improvement

Filled with case studies, sample challenges and solutions, planning sheets, and more, Leading Curriculum Development is a much-needed guide for designing academic programs that lead to excellence in student achievement.

 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
Preface
 
List of Figures
 
1. Defining Effective Curriculum Leadership
What Is Curriculum?

 
Curriculum is the Essential Function

 
Dynamic Curriculum Leadership

 
School Leaders Must Also Be Curriculum Leaders

 
The Leader as Helper and Guide

 
Accepting the Challenge of Curriculum Leadership

 
Summary

 
End Notes

 
 
2. Basic Tasks of Curriculum Leadership
Defining the Program

 
Collarborating for Success

 
Providing the Path

 
Coordinating Activity

 
The Leader's Role

 
Summary

 
End Notes

 
 
3. Making Curriculum Purposeful
Finding Your School Philosophy

 
Techniques for Finding Consensus

 
If-Then Logic

 
The Role of Standards and Benchmarks

 
Clarifying Goals and Objectives

 
Pre-Assessing School Capacity

 
Establishing a Destination

 
Validation as a Critical Element

 
Summary

 
Sample Problems and Leader Actions

 
End Notes

 
 
4. Building the School Curriculum Team
Selecting the Team

 
Using Committees to Activate Change

 
Small Groups

 
Conducting Meetings

 
Conferencing

 
Other Methods of Effective Communication

 
Leadership Style and Climate Formation

 
Achieving Consensus for School Improvement

 
Summary

 
Sample Problems and Leader Actions

 
End Notes

 
 
5. Constructing the Path for Curriculum Improvement
Visioning

 
Clarifying the Steps

 
The Use of Feedback in Curriculum Work

 
Management and Time-Dating Goals

 
Standards as Boundaries, Not Goals

 
Summary

 
Sample Problems and Leader Actions

 
End Notes

 
 
6. Detailed Planning to Implement Change
Curriculum Mapping

 
Alignment Criteria

 
Standards in the Curriculum

 
An Emerging Blueprint for School Improvement

 
Planning Tools That Empower

 
Summary

 
Sample Problems and Leader Actions

 
End Notes

 
 
7. Curriculum Improvement Means Staff Development
Teachers as the Critical Ingedient

 
Why Many Teachers Dislike Staff Development

 
Preferred Staff Development Designs

 
Assessing Staff Development Efforts

 
A Word About Adult Learners

 
Curriculum as the Rationale for Staff Development

 
Summary

 
Sample Problems and Leader Actions

 
End Notes

 
 
8. Closing the Circle Through Evaluation
General Functions

 
A Generic Design

 
Four Purposes of Evaluation

 
Eight Areas for Study

 
Using Technology in Evaluation

 
Summary

 
Sample Problems and Leader Actions

 
End Notes

 
 
9. Coordinating Successful Curriculum Work
Some Reasons for Curriculum Failure

 
The Elements of a Comprehensive Plan

 
We're All in This Together

 
Planning Tools

 
Reporting to the Board and Superintendent

 
Timing Is Everything in School Improvement

 
Program Evaluation and Review

 
A Bath Tub Filling Up

 
Boosters That Can Accelerate Change

 
Summary

 
Sample Problems and Leader Actions

 
End Notes

 
 
Resource A. Reproducible Planning Sheets
 
Resource B. Standard Curriculum Planning Resources
 
Resource C. Curriculum Resources Sites on the Internet
 
Resource D. Recommended Resource for Keeping Up-to-Date
 
Resource E. Glossary of Terms
 
References
 
Index

"A book that every practitioner should own. The author has managed to describe the complex process of curriculum development in plain English."

John Lundt, Professor of Educational Leadership
University of Montana

"A timely addition to the field of school improvement. The author creates a blueprint of easy-to-apply ideas and strategies that every school leader will find accessible and useful."

Lyndon Oswald, Principal
Sandcreek Middle School, Idaho Falls, ID

Book is accessible and well written, however the content did not align well with the learning objectives of my doctoral course.

Patrick Jenlink
Secondary Leadership Educ Dept, Stephen F Austin State University
May 11, 2013

Did not teach the course ultimately.

Mrs Elizabeth Speed
Teacher Education Dept, University of Texas - El Paso
March 11, 2013

For instructors

Please contact your Academic Consultant to check inspection copy availability for your course.

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