Curriculum
Background
Curriculum is the material used in a classroom for the purpose of educating students. Often companies such as Pearson Publishing or McGraw Hill prepare curriculum packages that include textbooks and accompanying material. Depending on what a school purchases; a curriculum package generally includes textbooks, the teachers manual and even power point notes slides, overhead projector maps and diagrams and videos or web access. The curriculum producer has significant influence on what is taught in the classroom.
Curriculum can be supplemented by a teacher's research or inclusion of material they found on the internet or in a book that is in their library. Because schools began using academic standards to ensure students across grade levels are receiving content at an appropriate stage in their education teachers use of additional content is focused to relevant topics. Teachers and schools in Ohio have the ability to prepare their own curriculum to teach any topic within the standards if they feel the curriculum from the textbook company is not appropriate, adequate or in line with the local community values.
Currently, many textbook companies focus their topic organization within textbooks based on the state academic standards of Texas or another large state. From that point school districts in other states research the material to determine how the content best fits their curriculum map and content standards.Because common core is being implemented across the country, the textbook companies will no longer have to focus efforts on the Texas standards. They are now preparing curriculum to align with the common core.
Curriculum can be supplemented by a teacher's research or inclusion of material they found on the internet or in a book that is in their library. Because schools began using academic standards to ensure students across grade levels are receiving content at an appropriate stage in their education teachers use of additional content is focused to relevant topics. Teachers and schools in Ohio have the ability to prepare their own curriculum to teach any topic within the standards if they feel the curriculum from the textbook company is not appropriate, adequate or in line with the local community values.
Currently, many textbook companies focus their topic organization within textbooks based on the state academic standards of Texas or another large state. From that point school districts in other states research the material to determine how the content best fits their curriculum map and content standards.Because common core is being implemented across the country, the textbook companies will no longer have to focus efforts on the Texas standards. They are now preparing curriculum to align with the common core.
Area of Concern
Because the common core is moving the control of what is taught in schools from the state and local levels to the federal government. Textbooks across the country will be uniform. From an economical perspective this makes sense but the lack of options will create an idea highway that will enter schools with little ability to maintain a values based education.
Each local school in Ohio will maintain the ability to decide what is taught in each classroom to the extent that the students are prepared for the PARCC assessment. As new curriculum enters the schools parents, teachers and school board members will need to scrutinize the material before exposing students to the content that could be contained in textbooks.
The reason from concern is simple. The curriculum and testing material is being developed by partisan activists including some of President Obama's closest friends in the education community and outside of the education realm. One education expert that is a known activists for President Obama and has made her way into the center of the curriculum debate is Linda Darling-Hammond. She certainly brings with her a a lot of experience, but she is also an activists who may try to influence classrooms in west central Ohio via the textbooks and testing.
Each local school in Ohio will maintain the ability to decide what is taught in each classroom to the extent that the students are prepared for the PARCC assessment. As new curriculum enters the schools parents, teachers and school board members will need to scrutinize the material before exposing students to the content that could be contained in textbooks.
The reason from concern is simple. The curriculum and testing material is being developed by partisan activists including some of President Obama's closest friends in the education community and outside of the education realm. One education expert that is a known activists for President Obama and has made her way into the center of the curriculum debate is Linda Darling-Hammond. She certainly brings with her a a lot of experience, but she is also an activists who may try to influence classrooms in west central Ohio via the textbooks and testing.