Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"A book that every practitioner should own. The author has managed to describe the complex process of curriculum development in plain English." --John Lundt, Professor of Educational LeadershipUniversity of Montana

Develop a curriculum that can transform an ordinary school into a school of excellence!

Curriculum development, an essential part of educational leadership, helps schools establish purpose, define activities, and guide decision making. This thought-provoking how-to resource helps leaders make sound choices and develop constructive policies as they guide a school team through this critical school improvement effort.

Written by an expert in the field, this handbook introduces educational leaders to dynamic curriculum leadership and a curriculum development process that leads to highly successful school programs. The author demonstrates how administrators can adapt curriculum to meet their school′s changing needs, incorporate emerging technologies, and reflect new and creative ways of thinking about education. The book walks educational leaders through the process, showing them how to:

Filled with case studies, sample challenges and solutions, planning sheets, and more, Leading Curriculum Development is a much-needed guide for designing academic programs that lead to excellence in student achievement.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Preface
• List of Figures
• 1 Defining Effective Curriculum Leadership
• What Is Curriculum?
• Curriculum is the Essential Function
• Dynamic Curriculum Leadership
• School Leaders Must Also Be Curriculum Leaders
• The Leader as Helper and Guide
• Accepting the Challenge of Curriculum Leadership
• Summary
• End Notes
• 2 Basic Tasks of Curriculum Leadership
• Defining the Program
• Collarborating for Success
• Providing the Path
• Coordinating Activity
• The Leader's Role
• Summary
• End Notes
• 3 Making Curriculum Purposeful
• Finding Your School Philosophy
• Techniques for Finding Consensus
• If-Then Logic
• The Role of Standards and Benchmarks
• Clarifying Goals and Objectives
• Pre-Assessing School Capacity
• Establishing a Destination
• Validation as a Critical Element
• Summary
• Sample Problems and Leader Actions
• End Notes
• 4 Building the School Curriculum Team
• Selecting the Team
• Using Committees to Activate Change
• Small Groups
• Conducting Meetings
• Conferencing
• Other Methods of Effective Communication
• Leadership Style and Climate Formation
• Achieving Consensus for School Improvement
• Summary
• Sample Problems and Leader Actions
• End Notes
• 5 Constructing the Path for Curriculum Improvement
• Visioning
• Clarifying the Steps
• The Use of Feedback in Curriculum Work
• Management and Time-Dating Goals
• Standards as Boundaries, Not Goals
• Summary
• Sample Problems and Leader Actions
• End Notes
• 6 Detailed Planning to Implement Change
• Curriculum Mapping
• Alignment Criteria
• Standards in the Curriculum
• An Emerging Blueprint for School Improvement
• Planning Tools That Empower
• Summary
• Sample Problems and Leader Actions
• End Notes
• 7 Curriculum Improvement Means Staff Development
• Teachers as the Critical Ingedient
• Why Many Teachers Dislike Staff Development
• Preferred Staff Development Designs
• Assessing Staff Development Efforts
• A Word About Adult Learners
• Curriculum as the Rationale for Staff Development
• Summary
• Sample Problems and Leader Actions
• End Notes
• 8 Closing the Circle Through Evaluation
• General Functions
• A Generic Design
• Four Purposes of Evaluation
• Eight Areas for Study
• Using Technology in Evaluation
• Summary
• Sample Problems and Leader Actions
• End Notes
• 9 Coordinating Successful Curriculum Work
• Some Reasons for Curriculum Failure
• The Elements of a Comprehensive Plan
• We're All in This Together
• Planning Tools
• Reporting to the Board and Superintendent
• Timing Is Everything in School Improvement
• Program Evaluation and Review
• A Bath Tub Filling Up
• Boosters That Can Accelerate Change
• Summary
• Sample Problems and Leader Actions
• End Notes
• Resource A Reproducible Planning Sheets
• Resource B Standard Curriculum Planning Resources
• Resource C Curriculum Resources Sites on the Internet
• Resource D Recommended Resource for Keeping Up-to-Date
• Resource E Glossary of Terms
• References
• Index