This book reviews New Zealand and international literature to explore the notion of "school-based curriculum development" (SBCD).
Key features of SBCD include:
- it involves school staff making decisions about programmes of learning for their students
- collaborative decision-making processes are involved
- it represents an alternative to "top-down" or centralised curriculum decision-making.
In practice, SBCD can range from individual teachers interpreting and adapting existing curricula, to whole staff working together to create curricula, sometimes with input from students, or people from outside the school.
Rationales for why SBCD should occur include: the view that curriculum development is an integral part of teachers’ professional identity; and the view that SBCD enables schools to be responsive to their students’ and communities’ educational needs and interests. However, SBCD can sometimes be challenging for teachers, and the result does not always reflect the needs and interests of students or school communities.
School-based curriculum development: Principles, processes, and practices considers the current context for SBCD in New Zealand, and the opportunities it presents for schools.
This book will be useful for principals, teachers, policy makers, and other stakeholders in education who wish to gain a deeper understanding of the principles and processes of SBCD, and put these into practice.