The Best End-of-School-Year Teacher Gift: Quality Materials and Training

Ask any parent or teacher about their best and worst end-of-school-year gift (given or received) and you’re sure to get some amusing stories (my worst as a parent – melted chocolates; as a teacher – jewelry). As this school year melts into summer, I have a much better present in mind: giving educators the instructional tools and training they deserve.

While evidence supports the positive impact of aligned, quality materials and professional learning, many educators are still struggling to access these resources. EdReports’ recent State of the Market shares some promising momentum in this area, but reports that “only 26% of ELA teachers and 40% of mathematics teachers are regularly using aligned materials.”

Fortunately, some additional recent research on the expansion of quality materials and training offers both hope and concrete examples of how this expansion can happen most effectively. The RAND Corporation’s most recent report on their American Instructional Resources Survey explores state leadership in supporting district and school implementation of quality curriculum – a topic near and dear to the heart of CurriculumHQ. It’s a meaty document well worth a read for my fellow advocates in this arena. What caught my attention most is how RAND’s evidence backs the need for an ecosystem of support that includes state leadership and places educators at the center.

The report highlights states that have participated in the CCSSO IMPD Network to expand the use of aligned instructional materials and supports in ELA and math over the past several years. Trends show the positive impact of state leadership and support on local district adoption and implementation of quality tools. By dedicating state investments and offering local funding opportunities rooted in the instructional core, leading states are making it easier and smarter for districts to choose and use strong materials.

Just a few of the report’s many examples of how IMPD states are encouraging districts to implement high-quality curriculum:

Louisiana and Mississippi empower “teacher curriculum ambassadors” as trained spokespeople sharing their experiences with and advocacy for quality materials and professional learning among their peers.
Delaware and Massachusetts incentivize districts through an opt-in approach to access grant opportunities and direct professional development aligned to quality curriculum.
Tennessee offers professional learning around the implementation of quality materials to school and district leaders.

At the end of another impossibly challenging school year, we owe it to educators to give them the best end-of-year gift ever. Teachers need and deserve the best possible resources and opportunities to serve their students. We should build on the momentum of IMPD states increasing access to quality materials so that teachers across the country have what they need to excel.

Jocelyn Pickford is an education policy and communications specialist focusing on understanding and promoting practitioner-informed public policy across the private, public and non-profit sectors as a Senior Affiliate with HCM Strategists. She began her career in education as a high school English teacher in a regular and special education inclusion classroom and is now a public school parent and recent member of her local district school board. Previously, Jocelyn led the design, launch and implementation of the Teaching Ambassador Fellowship at the U.S. Department of Education to integrate teachers into the national education policy dialogue. Jocelyn’s passion for her work was seeded during her own public school education and took root during her classroom teaching experience in Fairfax County, Virginia, where she led action research and presented instructional materials to a variety of audiences. Jocelyn earned her bachelor’s degree from Trinity College (CT), working as a professional writer and editor prior to becoming a teacher, and obtained her master’s in secondary education from the George Washington University. Jocelyn lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and two children.