Curriculum Development and Instructional Leadership, Part 3

Question 1: Discuss how the Administrator’s role of articulating the importance of education in a democratic society influences his duties as the school’s curriculum and instructional leader

Answer 1: The public school system is the only chance many students will ever have to obtain an education, and an educated citizenry is the basis of a functioning democratic society. Therefore, the public school Administrator’s role as curriculum and instructional leader is his most important. The curriculum that the school follows will determine what, and how well, students will learn; if the curriculum does not include the material students need to equip themselves for life after graduation – college and/or employment – then the public school system has failed its students. No matter how devoted the school’s Administrator and staff may be, no matter how talented its teachers, if the curriculum does not match the students’ needs than they will not receive the education necessary for them to succeed as adults. As the curriculum and instructional leader of the school, the Administrator is responsible, at least in part, for his students’ success or failure later in life.

There are lots of good resources about Instructional Leadership that you can find available.

Question 2: Discuss some of the issues confronting the Administrator when a revision of curriculum is called for.

Answer 2: Curriculum redesign takes a long time to plan and implement, and it takes a long time to see any results. If it is not approached as a long-term project, then when results are not achieved quickly teachers and staff may get discouraged. Any curriculum redesign projects must have realistic deadlines and timetables built into them. Before designing the new curriculum, a review of the existing curriculum – a needs assessment - should be conducted – what will be retained, what will be modified, what will be discarded. The input of a school’s stakeholders must be solicited when conducting the curriculum redesign and any proposed accompanying instructional program. Curriculum design is usually undertaken by a committee, either at the school or the district level; it is not a one-person job, and the Administrator will have a large say in the people who will serve on the committee. The Administrator might be the curriculum committee coordinator, or she may choose another person. In any case, the Administrator will have to be deeply involved with the committee’s work and will almost certainly be a member of the committee.

Question 3: Discuss why it is necessary for the Administrator to ensure that school staff actively participates with district level curriculum development.

Answer 3: Just as student families will be more involved in the school if they feel that they have ownership of the school’s mission and activities, so teachers will be more passionate about teaching a curriculum program that they have hand a hand in designing. Teachers are professionals, specialists and experts in their fields, and they expect to have more responsibility than simply imparting a curriculum that has been mandated from on high. Some districts allow teachers more discretion and autonomy in designing curriculum, and instructional methods, than others, but even districts that take a more top-down approach to curriculum development will be receptive to teachers’ ideas if the Administrator takes the lead in soliciting, collecting and passing on those ideas. Teachers will be more excited about and more committed to teaching curriculum that they have helped to develop. The Administrator can help them do this by establishing communications between staff and district in the curriculum review process.

Previous: Curriculum Development and Instructional Leadership, Part 2 - Next: Data Analysis and Statistics, Part 1

Flashcard Secrets provides test preparation products for a variety of examinations - all trademarks are property of their respective trademark owners.

3827 Phelan #179

Beaumont, TX 77707