Outlines the inadequacies of conventional curriculum guides. The emerging emphasis on the use of curriculum alignment is presented as a promising alternative with four major advantages: (1) local control of the curriculum, (2) textbook adoption by local needs, (3) better pupil achievement, and (4) simpler curriculum monitoring. Includes a…

Describes a method of monitoring the district curriculum during an extended maintenance period. The program audit for each subject area addresses the degree of fidelity to curriculum objectives, determines whether teachers are emphasizing the curriculum objectives, and identifies factors constraining curriculum implementation. (MJL)

Describes how the Freshman English curriculum at Ramapo College was altered to include works by non-Western authors. Focuses on problems teachers faced in choosing texts and becoming familiar with new bodies of literature in a short period of time. Reports that students enjoyed their experiences in reading and writing about non-Western literature.…

This article reflects on others serialized in the same publication and the general call for a scientific pedagogy in curriculum development around the field of learning disabilities. Curriculum design, textbook adoption processes, and ongoing curriculum alignment are discussed in terms of scientific pedagogy in general and sameness analysis in…

This publication contains the analysis instrument developed by the California Ethnic Heritage Program to analyze ethnic studies curricula K-12 and discusses procedures for using the analysis form. The instrument is intended as a training aid to prepare teachers and other persons concerned with education to understand and internalize certain…

Focusing on the school district's written expectations for students, this document examines curriculum improvement in four sections, each accompanied by a list of related references. The first section explores the organizational and substantive planning needed to structure any curriculum improvement project effectively and includes information on…

This report describes the implementation of House Bill 246 (HB 246) passed by the 67th Texas Legislature as part of the response to education reform legislation. The State Board of Education is required to report on the status of the curriculum in the public schools 30 days prior to each legislative session. The report covers activities on the…

This guide is designed for K-12 teachers, administrators, and local curriculum committees to help them clarify the purposes of social studies and use constructive strategies for instructional improvement. It is based on the ideas that social studies is basic to the education of citizens and that social studies curricula ought to be determined…

Recent information drawn from the Educational Products Information Exchange (EPIE) Institute's six-year survey and assessment of instructional materials used in United States schools is reported in this paper. Among the conclusions, observations, and recommendations reported are the following: as currently practiced in most schools, the selection…

In response to the National Commission on Excellence in Education Report, the McHenry Community High School District in Illinois analyzed its current high school programs. The analysis is presented under five areas: (1) instructional programs; (2) student services; (3) district planning, facility, and fiscal programs; (4) athletic and cocurricular…

Discussed is the influence of mathematics textbooks on the sequence and amount of mathematics taught in middle grades. An alternative method of organizing mathematics instruction is proposed. The issue of homework is addressed. (KR)

The paper is designed to aid social studies educators and teachers in selecting curriculum materials. It is presented in three sections. Section I outlines problems involved in choosing among curricula. These problems include similarity of traditional social studies textbooks; recent proliferation of innovative curricula which have not been…

This case study recounts the attempts of two school districts to improve decision making on the adoption of a new elementary social studies curriculum by using formal evaluation methodology. The study's main objective was to develop a series of criterion referenced (mastery level) tests from a list of social studies objectives to determine whether…