Curriculum+Management


 * Sunday, September 27, 2009**

In this course, we developed the knowledge and skills of an instructional leader who will effectively manage curriculum and instruction on a school campus. We increased our leadership abilities in the areas of curriculum management, application of state law and local policy as they relate to curriculum and instruction, and campus improvement planning. Through our review of the required curriculum components and high school graduation requirements, I gained a widen perspective of the entire curriculum requirements from the Texas Education Agency beyond my current area of content. The TEA learning system also provides a roadmap to improve student learning, which includes learning goals, curriculum documents, instructional program, staff development program, measurement system, and administrative procedures.

As an administrator of a school, understanding the system in place for teaching and learning in Texas will grant a vantage point for improving the campus curriculum and instruction. In order to ensure consistent high performance for all students, the school district and its schools must take a comprehensive approach to student learning. The most relevant curriculum management topic to me as a school administrator is to align leaning goals, curriculum, instruction, assessment, resources, staff development, and supportive policies for our school’s instructional program. This dynamic task requires a thorough understanding of the system and its rational processes.

To implement quality curriculum and instruction, the instructional leader must communicate, delegate, empower, and encourage collaboration among staff members in the school, specifically site-based decision making committee members. Observing communication patterns and behaviors among groups at the campus will allow me to work more effectively as an instructional leader with other staff toward accomplishing the campus vision and goals//.// In order to improve student learning, a campus must create a culture that supports and facilitates ongoing and continuous change. The change must be backed by data that measure the school’s progress and evidence that support a change initiative. Repeated low-impact or superficial change initiatives will lead to intervention resistance. The knowledge from this course called me to give more attention to assessments and focus on prioritizing associated improvements, which will drive deeper changes in both culture and structure for my campus.

Effective collaboration requires a culture of trust and willingness to share essential information. Groups that work collaboratively can more effectively use individual talents. No single individual possesses all the knowledge, skills, and time required to initiate, implement, and evaluate the campus improvement efforts. Collaboration provides opportunities to bring in a broader range of the knowledge, skills, and techniques from the individuals. Collaboration can also provide a way to transfer information, stimulate creativity, extend accountability, and cultivate new leaderships. Trust can be built through providing feedback and soliciting opinions of others. The instructional leader must establish a campus culture of high expectations, trust, and continuous learning.

Knowledge of curriculum management is related to staff through the support of learning communities at the school. These communities meet on a regular basis to collaborate, problem-solve, and reflect with a common goal of improving student achievement. As change initiatives are implemented to curriculum and instruction in a campus learning environment, ethical decisions, such as conflicts between or within learning groups and issues with maintaining academic integrity for staff, may arise. Collaboration can be messy, frustrating, and difficult. This may lead to conflicts among group members or different groups within the school. Also, as teachers are held with an increased accountability for student performance, maintaining integrity on providing quality instruction may be an issue. Teachers may artificially improve student performance through unethical methods. A framework to ensure that these campus issues are handled fairly and with integrity should be in place. This involves gathering appropriate data, hosting dialogues with key members, and understanding current trends and effective pedagogy strategies.

Building a positive relationship between campus-level leaders, school district leadership, and state leadership is an essential part of curriculum management in order to improve student learning over time. The principal and campus-level leaders must have good management skills to ensure that the district’s curriculum is delivered effectively and analyzed with aligned assessments. School district leadership must support campus leaders to provide sound, productive teaching and learning to help students meet academic goals. Board members and superintendents need to align district policies related to curriculum and instruction with state standards. State and political leaders are dedicated in keeping accountability for local school districts. The TAKS, TELPAS, LAT are administered to hold school districts and individual schools accountable in following through on its well-laid plans. These test results are made public through the AEIS and the School Report Cards. The state also imposes governance structures for low-performing schools.

This synergistic relationship between campus, district, and state leaders allow the Curriculum Management Plan to provide the structure and quality control for the district’s curriculum plan and its instructional process. As an administrator, my day-to-day duties in developing and managing financial, material, and personnel resources must support the instructional system. An instructional leader focuses on the importance of developing a high-performing school, building positive rapports, and setting realistic priorities in order to promote real student learning. It is impossible to imagine achieving sustained positive results for students unless the leaders in the various levels of the educational system are also held accountable by high standards. As an instructional leader, I can take steps beyond the school to communicate and provide feedback to district and state leaders on policies clarifying roles and responsibilities in managing curriculum and instructions. As a school is held accountable for its performance, district and state policymakers should also follow professional standards, professional development and requirements, and accountability systems. When leaders at various levels of the system effectively address specific responsibilities, there will be profound and positive impact on student achievements.