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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.

    Reflections on Leadership Development in Schools in Honor of National Learning and Development Month

    Written by curriculumdeci on . Posted in Janet Hale Blog.

    Given National Learning and Development month is coming to a close, it is important to remember that students are not the only ones who need to focus on continuous learning in and beyond the classroom.

     

    “The illiterate of the future will not be the person who cannot read. It will be the person who does not know how to learn.” Alvin Toffler, former American writer and futurist

     

    21st century skills for teachers demand mental agility in assessing a constant stream of new information in relation to decision-making and communication within their classrooms. That means staff development and teacher training efforts must allow for a certain amount of teaching and learning flexibility for teachers when using a systemic curriculum framework.

    Designing systemic (across grade levels) curriculum, as I addressed in a previous post, requires four critical leadership characteristics: knowledge, judgment, integrity, and teamwork.

    • Knowledge acquisition for prekindergarten to grade 12+ educators must be viewed as an active, ongoing process in order for teachers to be effective curriculum leaders.
    • Judgment allows for flexibility for teacher leadership in different types of curriculum designs.
    • Integrity builds trust and honesty through open communication.
    • Teamwork is essential for incorporating various factors as they relate to instructional design, education standards, and curriculum development.

    “Ultimately, leadership is not about glorious crowning acts. It’s about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it, especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter. It is about laying the groundwork for others’ success, and then standing back and letting them shine.” Chris Hadfield, retired Canadian astronaut

    So, how can those responsible for educational leadership keep teaching and learning teams focused?

    One way is by using leadership-development maps. These maps, known as a Professional Development Map or Professional Learning Map, are a type of administrative map focused on what teachers, staff members, or administrators focus on what the learner will and be able to do, which I explain in detail in my book, An Educational Leaders’ Guide to Curriculum Mapping. An professional-learning administrative map’s elements are slightly different than those most often found in curriculum maps:

    Another consideration for keeping teaching and learning teams focused on continuous learning is through organizational development that supports curriculum and instruction innovation. Given the constant influx of new curriculum design models, instructional technology advancements, and standards-referenced educational resources from OERs, curriculum evaluation and innovation is being affected in at least two ways:

    • The manner in which teachers are obtaining educational resources is becoming more organic.
    • The rate of change in teaching and learning practices is accelerating due to technology and social networking.

    Students’ learning journeys extend across multiple grade levels and multiple teachers. Diligence on behalf of teachers involved in your students’ learning experiences include:

    • Ensuring the curriculum systemically flows with continuity, while aligning to education standards;
    • Provides opportunities for differentiated instruction and integration of personalized learning;
    • And embraces authentic tasks for authentic purposes and audiences.

    This is best achieved through deliberate, intentional student-centered and teacher-centered professional development. Through the use of curriculum maps, administrative maps, and personalized professional-learning opportunities, a win-win-win takes place. Administrators are aware of what is required, teachers are afforded flexibility in meeting those requirements, and students benefit from learning and teaching environments that are engaging and purposefully preparing them to be successful personally and professionally.

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