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The Principal as Curriculum Leader
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The Principal as Curriculum Leader
Shaping What Is Taught and Tested

Fourth Edition


September 2016 | 288 pages | Corwin

Your best resource for curriculum leadership post-NCLB and beyond!

Put quality curriculum front and center with this classic toolkit to savvy curriculum leadership for the 21st Century. Newly revised and updated case studies, research, and state and national curriculum and leadership standards complement a completely new section focused on emerging technologies.

New features include up-to-date information on:

  • Professional Standards for Educational Leaders, ESSA, CCSS and more
  • District-level curriculum mapping, planning, and integration
  • Facilitating professional growth, learning-centered scheduling, and leadership time management
  • State curriculum frameworks, online assessments, SBAC, PARCC, and adaptive testing

Learn what it really takes to structure, align, integrate and evaluate quality curriculum in the post-NCLB, ESSA and Common Core era. This nuts and bolts guide will help you navigate the new curriculum landscape with ease!

"As principals, we so often get caught up in the day-to-day management of our schools.  We must quit putting out fires and instead focus our attention on leading, specifically as curriculum leaders. The Principal as Curriculum Leader provides a clear framework with a plan of action to put you and your school on a path to student success."
—Stephen Baker, Principal
Smithfield-Selma High School, NC

"The Principal as Curriculum Leader is a blueprint for principals to use when implementing curriculum reform. It brings clarity to the many trends, mandates, and guidelines that masquerade as simple solutions to complex issues. This book should be read and owned by every principal and curriculum leader."
—Dr. Jerry V. Congleton, Former Superintendent
Weldon City Schools


 
Preface to the Fourth Edition
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Authors
 
PART I: Laying the Foundations
 
1. What It Means to Be a Curriculum Leader: Post Race to the Top, the Era of the Common Core of State Standards (CCSS) and the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA)
Movement Toward National Standards

 
Influences on Curricula: Current and Past

 
The Hallmarks of Curriculum Quality

 
Chapter Summary

 
References

 
 
2. Some Current Trends in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment in the Era of the Every Student Succeeds Act and New State Standards for Curriculum (ESSA and CCSS)
Some Current Trends in Curriculum

 
Some Practices Related to Current Trends in Curriculum

 
What These Trends Mean

 
Chapter Summary

 
References

 
 
3. The Five Curriculum Levels: National, State, District, School, and Classroom
National Functions

 
State Functions

 
District Functions

 
School Functions

 
Classroom Functions

 
Flexible Allocations

 
Chapter Summary

 
References

 
 
4. Importance of the Principal
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Commission Report Called for Definition of Highly Effective Principals

 
Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL) 2015

 
Defining Curriculum Leadership

 
Understanding the Problems of the Principal’s Curriculum Leadership Role

 
Understanding the Rationale for Principal Leadership

 
Uniting Principal and Teacher Leadership

 
Performing the Leadership Functions

 
Chapter Summary

 
References

 
 
PART II: Shaping State and District Curricula
 
5. State Policies and Frameworks
The Case of State Frameworks in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Mississippi

 
Becoming Informed

 
Getting the Message Across

 
Evaluating State Frameworks

 
Chapter Summary

 
References

 
 
6. District Curricula
District Functions

 
Exercising Influence as the Principal

 
Chapter Summary

 
References

 
 
PART III: Providing Leadership
 
7. Developing Vision and Goals
Developing the School’s Vision of a Quality Curriculum

 
Developing the School’s Curriculum Goals

 
Chapter Summary

 
References

 
 
8. Rethinking the Program of Studies
Renewing an Existing Program of Studies

 
Restructuring the Program of Studies

 
Chapter Summary

 
References

 
 
9. Committing to a Learning-Centered Schedule and Protection of Instructional Time
The Nature of a Learning-Centered Schedule

 
Developing a Learning-Centered Schedule

 
How the Principal and Teachers Can Make More Effective Use of the Existing Schedule

 
Chapter Summary

 
References

 
 
10. Integrating the Curriculum
Types of Integration

 
Arguments Supporting Integration

 
Arguments Questioning the Use of Integration

 
Some Challenges of Integration at All Levels

 
A Process for Resolving the Integration Issue

 
Chapter Summary

 
References

 
 
11. Aligning the Curriculum
Types of Curricula

 
Aligning the Recommended and the Written Curricula

 
Aligning the Written, the Supported, and the Assessed Curricula

 
Aligning the Written and the Taught Curricula

 
Aligning the Hidden and the Learned Curricula

 
Aligning the Taught and the Learned Curricula

 
Chapter Summary

 
References

 
 
12. Monitoring the Curriculum Implementation Process
The Argument About Monitoring

 
A Practical Solution for Monitoring

 
Chapter Summary

 
References

 
 
PART IV: Working With Teachers
 
13. Making Yearly Planning Calendars and Curriculum Maps
The Nature of Yearly Plans and Curriculum Maps and a Rationale for Their Use

 
Organizing for Yearly Planning

 
Developing Yearly Plans

 
Reviewing the Plans

 
Chapter Summary

 
References

 
 
14. Developing Units of Study
A Rationale for Unit Development

 
Organizing for Unit Development

 
Developing Units Based on Constructivist Principles

 
Some Criticisms of Constructivism

 
Chapter Summary

 
References

 
 
15. Enriching the Curriculum and Remediating Learning
Helping Teachers Enrich the Curriculum

 
Helping Teachers Remediate Learning

 
Chapter Summary

 
References

 
 
16. Evaluating the Curriculum
Evaluating the Assessed or Tested Curriculum

 
Evaluating the Supported Curriculum

 
Evaluating the Written Curriculum

 
Evaluating the Taught Curriculum

 
Evaluating the Learned Curriculum

 
Chapter Summary

 
References

 
 
PART V: Looking Ahead
 
17. Curriculum Leadership: Putting It All Together
Work Closely With District Leadership

 
Set Up the Curriculum Organizational Structures

 
Use Team Leadership

 
Make Curriculum Improvement Part of an Overall Plan

 
Use an Incremental Process in Effecting Curricular Change

 
Prioritize Curriculum Tasks

 
Use Routine Activities to Support Quality Curricula

 
Develop Specific Plans and Manage Time

 
A Personal and Concluding Note

 
Chapter Summary

 
References

 
 
Index

This text is both practical, and appropriately theoretical. Principal interns learn about the "big picture" of curriculum leadership, and also have the opportunity to look at the details of various aspects of curriculum leadership, such as a learning-centered schedule.

David Swank
Educational Administration, University Of South Dakota
January 31, 2023

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