Teachers feel limited by standardized curriculum.

As school districts mandate pre-packaged curricula, educators are expressing a loss of professional autonomy.  

  • “For two decades now, I have worked with my fifth grade colleagues to build a literacy curriculum that weaves together reading and writing instruction with the kind of work that helps kids understand the ways in which we can use reading and writing to create positive change in the world. … Next year, we will no longer be teaching that curriculum. Instead we will be teaching out of a workbook and teaching with a scripted curriculum. I believe that what we are losing is far more significant than what will be gained. And I feel mostly powerless to change any of it.” —Fifth Grade Teacher in Illinois
    • “This feels far too familiar to me. This fall, as I begin my 28th year of elementary classroom teaching, I will be teaching science and math to two groups of fourth graders. I can’t do what we are being told to do in literacy instruction anymore.” —Fourth Grade Teacher in Virginia
  • “Expecting every teacher to teach the same thing at the same time is not an effective method to ensure that every student learns what they need to learn. Assessment literacy and design > adhering to curricula. This burden only falls on the teacher’s shoulders when a district drops the ball.” —Instructional Coach in Washington state
  • “So, secondary ELA teachers. My district demanded all teachers start teaching curriculum today, on the second day of class. Do you know what texts are assigned for today, the second day of class? English 1: Marigolds by Eugenia Collier. English 2: The Refusal by Franz Kafka…” —HS ELA Teacher in Texas
    • “A lot of folks not in the classroom making decisions negatively impacting the classroom—folks who will face absolutely zero consequences for these decisions while students and teachers do. Make education worse, climb the ladder = education in America.” —HS English Teacher in Oregon
  • “Teaching without the curriculum…We’re using CKLA, Illustrative Math, Amplify Science and IMPACT Social Studies. Is there any issue in just using these as guides but teaching it the way I’d like? I’m not a fan of the way some of the material is presented. FWIW, my school is ‘low performing’ and I’ve been told there will be district members checking in on my room.” —Teacher in California
    • “McGraw Hill’s IMPACT is just the worst history text I’ve ever used. My district just adopted it maybe 2 years ago. The runner up text was National Geographic. Middle school, by the way. So many of us bought a copy of the grade 7 NG text and used it instead. A world of difference between the two. We actually scanned most of the book and created pdf chapters to use on Canvas. Time consuming…yes. Worth it, yes. I was told bluntly that the district spent a lot of money, and I had to use IMPACT. Sorry, but no.” —Teacher in California
    • “Your guide is the state standards. You’re required to teach the standards (all of them). Our contract says teachers have academic freedom in how you teach those standards. BUT my only advice is: no matter what people say, teachers are judged on their data/scores. If you have good results, then admin usually will let you use your ‘freedom’, but if you don’t have great data then expect them to be in your room, questioning what you are or not doing. They can make your life hard if your data is low and you aren’t using LAUSD suggested curriculum. I also highly suggest new teachers still on probation do what your admin suggests…” —Anonymous