Based on interviews with educators representing more than 70 schools across the country, we found five common pitfalls in the curriculum journey:
“Nobody asked me.”
Leaders are engaged in curriculum adoption, but teachers are left out—leading teachers to feel like the decision is forced on them and their students.
“You are telling me to do different things.”
Teachers are on board and excited, but leaders are not engaged in the process and don’t understand the materials, so they end up undermining the materials by giving feedback in tension with the curriculum’s design, creating mixed signals about what matters most.
“I feel like a robot.”
Teachers are asked to be so strict in their fidelity to the curriculum that they cannot meet students’ needs, students struggle, and ultimately everyone rejects the materials.
“I use it as a resource.”
Without training or a specific plan for how the materials should be used, teachers’ well-intentioned adaptations get out of hand and dilute the materials, so students don’t end up mastering the standards.
“This too shall pass.”
The whole curriculum implementation effort is treated as another exercise in compliance rather than rooted to a meaningful vision for teaching and learning.
Avoiding the pitfalls
Whether you’re in the midst of implementation and feeling these challenges yourself, or you’re at the start of your journey and anticipating what could go wrong—know that these pitfalls are avoidable.
We’ve identified the key actions that help leaders successfully implement high-quality instructional materials. The result? A framework for effective implementation, with step-by-step guidance and resources to help set your teachers and students up for success.