“I appreciate the opportunity to inform the development of this white paper, which presents an unusually comprehensive and strong framework for effective curriculum implementation. I note, in particular, the high degree of attentiveness to the available research—still in many cases preliminary—from the field. The theory of action laid out in the paper emphasizes that to realize the potential of high-quality materials to benefit student learning, districts and schools need to consider multiple aspects of leadership, scheduling, curriculum-integrated professional learning, and the use of data. This last element—the use of diagnostic data to identify students who will need targeted support prior to a curriculum unit, and the use of end-of-unit assessments to support missed learning—is as yet underdeveloped in the field as a whole. I am aware that Great Minds, amongst others, is working to create the tools necessary to address this important gap in a fully effective design for highly effective implementation.”
— Dr. David Steiner, Executive Director, the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy.
