Curriculum Review for School Improvement: Findings From a District/Research Partnership

• In Event: Structures, People, and Programs for Improving Schools and Systems

Abstract

This paper reports findings from a curriculum review conducted in partnership with leaders at a large urban high school district in the southwestern United States and an external research and technical assistance team. Grounded in the four domains of school improvement (The Center for School Turnaround, 2017), the district sought to learn to what degree students had access to a guaranteed and viable curriculum. The authors use Kurtz et al.’s (2010) framework of three facets of curriculum (intended, lived, and learned) to analyze the social processes through which multiple actors (publishers, district leaders, teachers, and students) constructed and experienced English Language Arts curriculum in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms.

Authors

• Christine Marie Snyder, WestEd

• Erica S. Silva, WestEd

• Juan Manuel Ceja, Tolleson Union High School District

• Rosalva M. Lagunas, Tolleson Union High School District