Interview Reports on Curriculum Development and Renewal Processes

Running Head: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

Parental Involvement in Minority Community in U.S Public Schools

Interview Reports on Curriculum Development and Renewal Processes and Parental Involvement in the Minority Community.

Curriculum refers to a structured document that outlines the goals, philosophy, objectives, instructional materials, learning experiences, and evaluations that make up an educational program (Wentzell, 2006). It is a tool that helps in the administration of an excellent instructional program. The curriculum development process takes place over a relatively long time and involves students, teachers, and public and expert curriculum developers.

Interview Report on What Comes First in the Curriculum Development Process, Between Needs and Goals

On (Monday, 29th March), I interviewed John L. Brown, a curriculum and assessment specialist working with Connections Education, to get his expert opinion on curriculum development and the curriculum renewal process. The purpose of the first phase of the interview was to establish what comes first, between needs and goals, in the curriculum development process, and to obtain the interviewee’s reflection. The interview also sought to identify the implications in the curriculum development process.

I asked John to give me his expert opinion on what comes first in the curriculum development process when considering needs and goals. He said that an analysis of needs in any curriculum development process is always the starting point of a curriculum design and then followed by the goals and objectives (Albilehi, Han & Desmidt, 2013). One of the curriculum development assumptions is that an excellent educational program should be established to analyze a learner’s needs. He views needs analysis as a critical phase in planning educational programs. Learners’ needs can be obtained by the use of various methods like interviews and use of questionnaires.

By analyzing the interviews or the questionnaire, essential and relevant information can be obtained by experts as guiding principles by curriculum developers in the curriculum development process, even before setting the curriculum goals and objectives. This information can provide insight into who the students are, their goals, and their learning-style preferences. He added curriculum developers could use such information in decision-making in the development process. He added that needs assessment is essential so that the learners can have a chance to verify their skill and knowledge level. According to John, a needs analysis is very important for curriculum developers to know and describe the gap in terms of competency that already exists, hence, generate the best idea possible to bridge this gap (Albilehi, Han & Desmidt, 2013).

Having captured that area in detail, I went ahead to ask him the implication of this in the curriculum development process. He then explained that a needs analysis is like a bridge, which seeks to address the existing gaps in the training syllabus and its needs. Bearing this in mind, curriculum developers must perform a carefully considered, detailed, and well-organized needs analysis or assessment. This should be done occasionally. An evaluation should then be carried out to determine the running program’s effectiveness, asking questions such as; is the running program still accommodating students’ needs, or has there been a deviation from the learners’ expectations? Therefore, needs analysis or assessment determines the learner’s needs in the program and structuring those needs simultaneously according to its priority. The information can be obtained using tests, questionnaires, observations, and interviews (Albilehi, Han & Desmidt, 2013).

John also noted that needs analysis could be considered a type of assessment process that can be evaluated in terms of reliability, practicality, and validity. A reliable needs analysis should contain a well-developed and systematic application of tools rather than simple observations. The results become more reliable when more individuals, learners, in this case, are studied. On the other hand, valid needs address what is relevant and meaningful, and hence, the kind of information being collected is essential. As the third aspect, practical needs analysis provides results that are easy to understand and incorporate in the process of curriculum development. However, there is tension among the three. Hence, a researcher should give preference to the aspect of validity.

In his concluding remarks, he said that needs analysis is a critical process in the curriculum development process because it helps the stakeholders in the curriculum development process in every step of curriculum development, from the initial stages of planning to implementation and assessing the learning program. He added that needs assessment provides accurate and meaningful information on pedagogical, institutional, evaluation, and ethical dimensions. With these dimensions in the needs analysis process, curriculum developers can ensure that learners’ learning can align with the objectives and ensure that outcomes are appropriate to the initial planning ((Albilehi, Han & Desmidt, 2013). However, the learner may not always be aware of the needs they have. So it is also the duty of facilitators and the analyst parents to know their needs through well-structured needs analysis procedures.

Needs analysis helps everyone since a relevant curriculum with appropriate needs gives both the teacher and the learner satisfaction. It is, therefore, a vital necessity and should be done with caution because any form of negligence can lead to the risk of developing an inappropriate curriculum.

Interview Report of A District Curriculum Development Process

This part of the interview sought to get an overview of steps to design or develop a district curriculum. At this point also, the interview sought to determine the role that parents in the minority community play when it comes to curriculum development. John provided some insight on this subject also. He went ahead to identify four key stages of curriculum development.

The first stage is analysis and planning. This initial stage involves convening a curriculum development committee, identifying key issues and trends in the specific content area, and assessing needs and issues. At this stage, a comprehensive analysis of state requirements and school requests is done. A curriculum development committee comprises teachers, administrators, parents, members of the public, and students. Key issues and trends are then identified by conducting both needs and situational analysis. This is the point at which research is carried out. Therefore, committee members identify many of the issues and trends that the new curriculum will have to address (Wentzell, 2006).

The second step is articulation and development, which includes articulating a program philosophy, defining a program, grade level, and course goals, and finally, developing and sequencing grade level and course objectives. If the curriculum’s philosophy and goals signify the curriculum’s guiding philosophies, then the course's grade-level and objectives symbolize the curriculum’s core. These include clear expectations for what every learner should know and do and how this will be measured. At this point also, resource materials to assist with the implementation are identified. Assessment items and instruments to be used to measure student progress are also identified at this stage.

The third step is implementation which involves putting the new program into practice. John says that it’s crucial to remember that any innovation introduced into a system, including a new curriculum, needs support and time to be implemented effectively (Wentzell, 2006). Facilitators need time to become familiar with the new curriculum and its design, specifically how it differs from the previous. The entire implementation process, therefore, takes a relatively long period. Therefore the development committee, teachers, and principals must be aware of this and avail themselves to support it (Wentzell, 2006).

John’s final step is an evaluation that entails updating the new program and determining its success. A standard method of occasionally updating a curriculum is through grade-level meetings involving teachers, learners, and parents. These are deliberated to share activities, materials, assessments, and even student work that nurture the curriculum goals. The cycle of curriculum development ends and then begins with evaluating the program’s impact and effectiveness (Wentzell, 2006).

He then went ahead to explain the involvement of parents, specifically in the minority community, in the process of district curriculum development. He says that minority parent involvement in the U.S public schools is minimal, mainly due to barriers that prevent their children’s school participation (Stacer & Perrucci, 2013). He went ahead to point out such factors as teachers’ perception about the efficiency of minority parents, their beliefs in the effectiveness of these parents and developmental philosophy, school policies, and school leadership. He added that a better understanding of the nature of minority parents’ involvement would lead to a more cooperative school-home partnership. He added that some of their roles include providing resources, monitoring students’ wards, and keeping the school well informed about homework, child development, and curriculum problems (Leddy, 2018).

Interview Report on District Curriculum Renewal Process

The purpose of this final part of the interview was to determine the critical stages involved in the renewal of a curriculum. Again, this was explained in detail by John. He started by identifying the guiding principles for curriculum renewal: contributions from and cooperation among instructors, based on evidence, focus on student learning, examination of the program as a whole, and continuous improvement. He then went on to explain the critical stages of a curriculum renewal process.

The first step is preparation for renewal. Before any changes are made to a program’s curriculum, it is essential to consider what and who should be consulted to determine the changes that will improve the curriculum (Richards & Ashbourne, 2017). This includes asking questions like, what information do we require to make evidence-based decisions about this curriculum?

The second step is program visioning since considering the program’s vision is essential and articulates its identity. This enhances the creation of outcomes and establishes the program curriculum’s general emphasis (Richards & Ashbourne, 2017).