Presenter: Fenwick English, Robert Wendell Eaves Sr. Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership, University of North Carolina

 

While Most Texas educators are familiar with Fenwick English’s concepts of alignment between the written, taught, and tested curricula, many do not sufficiently understand its implications when implementing it on a systemwide basis.  The achievement gap is a complex, multi-faceted problem not amenable to simplistic off-the-shelf solutions.  Rather, it takes systematic work to confront “slack” in the school district and eliminate it as a causative variable in curriculum design and delivery.  In addition, this presentation reveals the “paradox of administration” in that some variables must be “tight” while others should be “loose” in formulating change strategies.  Most school systems have it backwards.  (SBEC # 7)