K-12 Curriculum Development

Are you a classroom teacher, a principal, or a curriculum director?  Do you wonder what your school district would look like and how it would operate if you could be the principal or superintendent for one year?  In The 360 Degree Leader, Maxwell (2005) wrote, "the reality is that most people will never be the top leader in an organization.  They will spend their careers somewhere in the middle" (p. 17).





Examples of 360-Degree Leadership:

Grade Level Meetings
A third grade teacher can influence the curriculum and instruction by sharing strategies that have helped one or more students.  The leader in the group could be a first year teacher or a veteran teacher.

Building Level Meetings
Some teachers have the unique ability of bringing a staff together to improve the collective efforts of teachers in a building.  Another example of building level leadership is stating why a flavor-of-the-month strategy is not the right direction for teaching and learning.  While some educators view this type of leadership as "rocking the boat", schools need leaders who are willing to speak up and share alternate strategies.

District Level Meetings
Recently, our school district developed a 6-12 grade writing sequence.  English teachers met for over twelve months to discuss what is taught, what should be eliminated and what should be added to the curriculum.  Teachers had to challenge the existing practices and make suggestions for improving alignment between grade levels.  

Advocacy
Teacher Leaders and School Administrators can join professional organizations such as the National Council of Teachers of English, ASCD, or the National Association of Secondary School Principals.  Professional organizations provide educators the opportunity to influence education at the state and national level.  Leadership positions in professional organizations offer additional opportunities for educators to impact their profession.

Blogs, Nings, and Other Social Networking Sites
As Web 2.0 tools continue to expand, educators can lead conversations, offer support to teachers in other countries, and participate in conversations about teaching and learning.  K-12 Curriculum Development was designed for educators to share ideas, discuss recent books about curriculum, share tools for supporting the work of teachers and administrators, and foster an online professional learning community.  These new online communities have provided new opportunities for leaders to connect.

Examples of Social Networking Sites for Professional Educators:
English Companion Ning

ASCD EDge

National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Ning


"You will develop the ability to be a 360-Degree Leader by learning to lead up (with your leader), lead across (with your colleagues), and lead down (with your followers)." 
                                                                                               - John C. Maxwell

The field of education needs leaders and the position you hold in an organization should not hinder your influence in the organization.  For more information on becoming a 360-Degree Leader, read The 360-Degree Leader, by John Maxwell.  Educators can take the 360-Degree Leader assessment at www.360DegreeLeader.com.

References:
Maxwell, J.C. (2005). The 360-degree leader: Developing your influence from
        anywhere in the organization. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.