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Curriculum Standards

Janet’s work with our district was very well received. Both veteran and new teachers greatly appreciated the opportunity to dive into our state’s mathematics standards and learn how to prioritize them for consistency across our schools. In an engaging and supportive manner, she provided worthwhile professional learning to all our teachers PK to High School.

—Sean Feeny, Port Washington Union Free District, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

Curriculum Mapping & Curriculum Design

Janet Hale's curriculum design work for The Dewey Schools has been transformative. Her expertise in creating engaging and effective educational frameworks has significantly enhanced our students' learning experiences. Her contributions have been invaluable in shaping a dynamic and robust curriculum that meets our diverse needs as an international school community.

—Laurie Whiston, The Dewey Schools, English Program Director

Curriculum Mapping & Curriculum Design

Janet led a multi-year curriculum mapping project designed specifically for our student population. As a low-performing school with high teacher turnover, curriculum unit guides for Mathematics and ELA became essential for ensuring learning and teaching cohesiveness. Janet was instrumental in listening to our concerns and interweaving our school’s founding principles surrounding culturally responsive teaching into each unit. She guided our administrative and teacher teams through the process of developing unit guides that identify key content, skills, and anchor texts aligned to our state standards and social justice outcomes.

—Stacey Howard, Z.E.C.A. School of the Arts and Technology, Founder and CEO

Curriculum EDiting

Many thanks go to Janet Hale, a bestselling author, educational consultant, curriculum expert, colleague, and friend. Her careful evaluation, honest critique, and helpful advice have made my book, TrustED: The Bridge to School Improvement, a more thoughtful and engaging read.

—Toby Travis, Author

Curriculum EDiting

I have hired Janet multiple times as an educational consultant for our best-selling line of workbooks. Janet ensured that the content in these workbooks aligned perfectly with curriculum standards. She meticulously revised and edited lessons and activities, significantly enhancing the quality of the workbooks. Her expertise and attention to detail gave me complete confidence in the content and its impact on children's education. Janet is great to work with and I highly recommend her for your educational publication needs!

—Courtney Acampora, Senior Editor, Silver Dolphin and Studio Fun

Curriculum EDiting

When I embarked on a bold plan of writing a series of children's books for our organization, I truly didn't know what I didn't know! Janet has been consistently beyond patient in ensuring I understand the do’s and don'ts involved in good storytelling, formatting, and editing, which has enabled us to produce age-appropriate and fun books that convey our purpose and intended message.

—Kevin Schwieger, Luke5Adventures, Founder and President

    Making curriculum decisions related to students' learning needs is on every administrator's and teacher's mind—both addressing prioritizing standards-based learning and the need for innovation. To discuss your needs and concerns, contact Janet to schedule a free virtual meeting.

    NGSS 2017 Conference Got Thinking About STEM/STEAM (Apr 4, 2017)

    Written by curriculumdeci on . Posted in Janet Hale Blog.

    I just returned a few days ago from attending the NSTA 2017 national conference in Los Angeles. I spent most of my time attending sessions in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) strand, given my on-going standards-based curriculum-design work with schools and districts.

    During one session a presenter mentioned the Periodic Table of Elements and its organization, which got me thinking….

    In 1869, Russian chemist, Dmitri Mendeleev, developed what has become known as the first periodic table. He arranged the elements according to their atomic mass and left spaces for undiscovered elements. His periodic table is a remarkable example of a scientist taking data and transforming it into usable information other scientists could then build upon, which is a hallmark of the Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs).

    The subject areas of science, technology, engineering, and math, commonly referred to as STEM, are embedded throughout the NGSS and ask students to apply them authentically as both scientists and engineers. The cross-over of these four fields (five, if you include Arts for STEAM-based learning) enable students, similar to Mendeleev, to approach complex problems, collect necessary data, and synthesize and interpret findings.

    These capabilities are in high-demand in our modern economy. Sadly, following the great recession(late 2007 until mid-2009), STEM job postings remained unfilled, according to Brookings:

    “The shortage of STEM workers means that the gap in earnings and unemployment between STEM and non-STEM workers will worsen, exacerbating income inequality across all demographic groups,” said Rothwell. “Strategies to help the unemployed get jobs and low-wage workers improve their earnings should include improving educational and training opportunities to acquire STEM knowledge. Increased training in STEM fields like computer science and medicine will ease hiring for employers and lead to high-paying career paths for workers.”

    This is why it is critical that NGSS-based curriculum and STEM/STEAM development must begin at the onset of students’ elementary education years and continue throughout their high school education.

    Developing NGSS-based curriculum is challenging, but worthwhile and needed. Likewise, integrating STEM/STEAM into an existing curriculum framework is not a simple task. With any curriculum innovation, K-12 education leaders know they must be mindful of how these curriculum decisions will:

    • Affect their students’ abilities to reach determined STEM/STEAM milestones, while meeting or required NGSS 3-Dimensional education standards;
    • Ensure differentiated instruction and personalized learning opportunities; and
    • Provide adequate and embedded NGSS and STEM teacher training, including advancements in instructional technology.

    Just like Mendeleev’s accomplishments nearly 150 years ago, we must create the best curriculum framework from what we know is in our students’ best interests today, and provide innovative opportunities for them by leaving room for future minds to improve upon it.

    For expertise in how to design NGSS-based, three-dimensional curriculum and instruction, or incorporate STEM-based learning into your current curriculum development, please contact us at Curriculum Decisions.

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