State Curriculum Reforms and Their Potential Contribution to Instructional System Coherence: A Case Study of Rhode Island and Tennessee

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kaufman, Julia H.

Contributor:

Gittens, Allyson D.

Polikoff, Morgan

Silver, Daniel

Wang, Elaine Lin

Woo, Ashley

Language:

English

Other Title:

State Curriculum Reforms and Their Potential Contribution to Instructional System Coherence

Place of Publication:

RAND Corporation 2023

Summary:

Providing clear guidance to teachers is not a straightforward task for school systems: Teachers get information about what to teach and how to teach from many sources, some of which are beyond the control of school systems. When teachers get different, even conflicting, messages about what and how to teach from various sources, they likely perceive their instructional system as lacking in coherence. In this report, RAND researchers draw on quantitative and qualitative data to investigate the extent to which state reforms aimed at increasing adoption of, use of, and supports for standards-aligned instructional materials in Rhode Island and Tennessee relate to (1) the guidance that teachers perceive they get about what to teach and how to teach English language arts (ELA) and (2) teachers' perceptions of greater instructional system coherence. The researchers also explore relationships between teachers' perceptions of coherence, schoolwide conditions, and teachers' ELA instructional practices. This research is intended to provide insights to state policymakers (and researchers) into how state policies and strategies are translated and implemented within schools and classrooms and what aspects of state policies could make a difference for more-coherent instructional systems. In addition, this research is intended to help district and school leaders reflect on the coherence of their systems and the steps they could potentially take to improve coherence and, thereby, support high-quality instruction.