ERIC Number: ED582435
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Sep
Pages: 47
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: 978-0-9968848-0-8
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
What We Teach: K-12 School District Curriculum Adoption Process, 2017
Allen, I. Elaine; Seaman, Jeff
Babson Survey Research Group
The objective of this study is to better understand the process by which K-12 school districts select curricula materials in four critical subject areas: Mathematics, English Language Arts, Science, and History and Social Studies. This research has two primary goals: (1) to understand the process by which K-12 school districts select and adopt full-course curricula materials; and (2) to understand the degree to which K-12 school districts are aware of and adopted Open Education Resources (OER). Key findings of the study were: (1) Over three-quarters of districts have made a full-course curricula decision in the past three years, with two-thirds of these making decisions in more than one subject area. The most common subject area is Mathematics, followed by English Language Arts; (2) Adopting a full-course curriculum is a group activity. Teachers almost always play a role, typically joined by administrators and principals. Parents and outside experts are included by about half of the districts; (3) There is no single factor that drives a district selection process, with most districts citing five or more factors as "very important" or "critical" to their decision. Comprehensive content, working with current technology, are cited most often; (4) Districts select full-course curricula materials from over two-dozen publishers. Three of these, McGraw-Hill, Pearson Education, and Houghton Mifflin, are cited most often; (5) The vast majority of district adoption decisions are driven by an external factor: changing standards. Districts typically initially consider 3 to 5 alternatives, narrowing that number to 2 or 3 for a final decision. Most decision processes take the better part of a year to complete. The curricula materials being replaced are usually 6 to 10 years old; (6) Awareness of copyright and the public domain is much higher among districts than is awareness of Creative Commons licensing. Nearly three-quarters of respondents claim some level of awareness of OER, but this drops to only one-third when awareness of licensing is included; and (7) K-12 school districts have a greater degree of awareness of OER materials than of OER concepts and definitions. Two-thirds of all districts are aware of at least one OER full-course curriculum, with 37% having actively considered at least one for adoption. A full 16% of districts have adopted at least one full-course OER curriculum.
Descriptors: Elementary Secondary Education, School Districts, Decision Making, Mathematics Instruction, Language Arts, English Instruction, Science Instruction, History Instruction, Social Studies, Curriculum Implementation, Curriculum Development, Resource Units, Shared Resources and Services, Instructional Materials, Educational Technology, Technology Uses in Education, Administrator Surveys
Babson Survey Research Group. Babson College, 231 Forest Street, Babson Park, MA 02457. Tel: 909-278-7389; Web site: http://www.babson.edu/Academics/centers/blank-center/global-research/Pages/babson-survey-research-group.aspx
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Numerical/Quantitative Data; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Authoring Institution: Babson Survey Research Group
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A