Is alignment enough? Investigating the effects of state policies and professional development on science curriculum implementation

Penuel, William R.; Fishman, Barry J.; Gallagher, Lawrence P.; Korbak, Christine; Lopez-Prado, Bladimir

doi:10.1002/sce.20321

Cited by 68 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 59 publications

(64 reference statements)

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“…Similar findings have been noted by Penuel, Fishman, Gallagher, Korbak, and Lopez-Prado (2009), who found that lack of time to plan for curriculum implementation was a significant problem for teachers in their study. Although policy makers put a great deal of time into developing the policy, local actors are often not given a proportionate amount of time to understand the intent of the policy or to translate it into practice.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Failure, The Next Generation: Why Rigorous Standards are not Sufficient to Improve Science Learning

Bair

2014

IJEPL

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Although many states in the United States are adopting policies that require all students to complete college-preparatory science classes to graduate from high school, such policies have not always led to improved student outcomes. There is much speculation about the cause of the dismal results, but there is scant research on the processes by which the policies are being implemented at the school level, especially in schools that enroll large numbers of historically non-college-bound students. To address this gap in the literature, we conducted a four-year ethnographic case study of policy implementation at one racially and socioeconomically diverse high school in Michigan. Guided by the structuration theory of Anthony Giddens (1984), we gathered and analyzed information from interviews with administrators and science teachers, observations of science classes, and relevant curriculum and policy documents. Our findings reveal the processes and rationales by which a state policy mandating three years of college-preparatory science for all students was implemented at the school. Four years after the policy was implemented, there was little improvement in science outcomes. The main reason for this, we found, was the lack of correspondence between the state policy and local policies developed in response to that state policy.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Failure, The Next Generation: Why Rigorous Standards are not Sufficient to Improve Science Learning

Bair

2014

IJEPL

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“…For example, a policy requirement to improve standardised test scores in specific schools led to whole school leaders in some schools questioning the he Living by Chemistry curriculum, leading to a very limited enactment of many of the distinctive features of the curriculum package. Penuel et al (2009) consider the enactment of another NSF-funded curriculum package in the US state of Alabama. The GLOBE reform initiative provides curriculum materials, and an online database, for the teaching of earth sciences for students up to eighth grade.…”

Section: Systemic Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Kelly and Staver, 2005, Penuel et al, 2009, Roehrig et al, 2007, Teo, 2012. For example, Roehrig et al (2007) examine the response of several high schools within an urban school district (Ocean Valley) in the US.…”

Section: Systemic Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Being professional: accountability and authority in teachers’ responses to science curriculum reform

Ryder

2015

Studies in Science Education

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The science curriculum is a focus of repeated reform in many countries. However, the enactment of such reforms within schools rarely reflects the intended outcomes of curriculum designers. This review considers what we know about the experiences and reflections of teachers in the enactment of externally driven school science curriculum E signals a focus on studies of teachers who did not make a proactive choice to adopt a particular curriculum reform initiative. This is a very common experience for teachers in many school systems, and one likely to highlight issues of professionalism and authority that are central to the work of teachers. The review analyses 34 relevant studies. These include studies of national curriculum reform, and also studies focusing on more regional or local curriculum reform activities. The curriculum reform, the response of teacher communities to reform (e.g. within school A T ised T highlights issues of authority, professionalism and the process of meaning-making in response to external curriculum reform. The discussion section identifies important areas for future research and gives recommendations for the design of curriculum policies that recognise and support the professionalism of science teachers.

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“…Fullan describes the stakeholders of education as everybody that is involved in the educational system, including students, teachers, principals and parents. Indeed, Penuel et al (2009) In order to initiate a reform of practice in Irish primary science education through the promotion the use of IBSE in Ireland, the representation of IBSE in textbooks must therefore be examined. This study therefore evaluates the potential of Irish primary school textbooks to act as a tool in the development of a teachers' IBSE PCK.…”

Section: Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Educational Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the Potential of Irish Primary School Textbooks in Supporting Inquiry-based Science Education (IBSE)

Dunne

Mahdi

O’Reilly

2013

International Journal of Science Education

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This study analyses several Irish primary school science textbook sets to evaluate their potential to support Inquiry Based Science Education (IBSE). The study was prompted by the results of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) 2008 survey of Irish primary science which indicated that a 72% of surveyed teachers are using science textbooks within their teaching. The reliance on deductive methodologies, such as the using textbooks, has been attributed to a lack of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). As the Irish primary science curriculum was changed to be more experiential in 2003, it is unlikely that deductive teaching from textbooks aligns with the new aims and objectives of the curriculum. This research analyses three textbook groups through the lens of the 5E model of teaching, a well known framework for teaching through inquiry. A four layer framework was developed around the 5E model that would highlight the strengths and weaknesses of textbooks in supporting IBSE. The results indicate that the various textbooks contain different structures, pedagogies and content, which can potentially be used to support the development of IBSE schema however, professional development must be provided as to how best to integrate textbooks into practice.

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Is alignment enough? Investigating the effects of state policies and professional development on science curriculum implementation

Cited by 68 publications

References 59 publications

Failure, The Next Generation: Why Rigorous Standards are not Sufficient to Improve Science Learning

Failure, The Next Generation: Why Rigorous Standards are not Sufficient to Improve Science Learning

Being professional: accountability and authority in teachers’ responses to science curriculum reform

Investigating the Potential of Irish Primary School Textbooks in Supporting Inquiry-based Science Education (IBSE)

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