The State of State Curriculum Data: Webinar Takeaways

What do we know about which districts are using which curricula across the country – and how do we know it? As I’ve written about before, curriculum data is essential to understanding what is reaching classrooms and how to support high-quality instruction, but only a handful of states publicly offer comprehensive data on district usage.

On November 18, I joined a panel discussion hosted by the Collaborative for Student Success alongside colleagues from the CEMD, RAND, and EdTrust-NY to talk about why curriculum data is important, the various types of data states provide, and how leaders use this data to make decisions about classroom instruction and educator supports.

My top takeaways? States can and should take up this work – and state advocacy groups have an important role to play in filling the gaps and elevating local needs. Our 50-state map on CurriculumHQ has a data category and we’re hoping to be able to add more examples soon.

Check out the webinar recording and slide deck for the full scoop, and explore these additional resources from our partners to learn more:

CEMD Market Explorer: Use this interactive map to explore curriculum selection trends across the country.
CEMD Launch Guide for Collecting Curriculum Selection Data: This starter kit can help state leaders get started with collecting data on curriculum selection and usage.
RAND American Instructional Resources Survey (AIRS) Project: Explore RAND’s findings on the use of instructional materials in classrooms across the country.

EdTrust-New York: Learn more about how EdTrust-New York uses data to identify advocacy priorities for New York State.

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 Partner with Waypoint Education Partners. 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 George Washington University. Jocelyn lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and two children.