Indicator: Access to quality, culturally responsive curricula

Definition

Schools and instructors use a standards-aligned core course curriculum that meets quality standards (as defined by EdReports) and is culturally relevant, centering the lived experiences and heritage of students’ ethnic or racial backgrounds.

RECOMMENDED METRIC(S)

No specific measures or tools identified

Type(s) of Data Needed

Curriculum materials

Why it matters

A high-quality curriculum can shape instruction and student learning. For example, there is evidence that using skill-based curricula in early childhood education is linked to large improvements in children’s cognitive abilities, and in K–12, a growing body of experimental research shows that different curricula can lead to better academic achievement outcomes for students. At the postsecondary level, curricula typically are not standardized, though there is some movement toward redesign and standardization of gateway courses to better promote student success. However, there is limited information on what makes curricula effective, largely because curriculum information is not collected systematically. Available evidence suggests that content richness and standards alignment are common qualities of effective curricula, and that curricula prioritizing student engagement may have positive effects on student achievement. In particular, students may benefit from seeing their culture represented positively within the curriculum. Research emphasizes the importance of “culturally relevant” and “culturally sustaining” curricula for students of color.

What to know about measurement

We were unable to identify standardized approaches to measuring access to quality, culturally responsive curricula, although there are ongoing advances in the field. Of note, EdReports  rates K–12 curricula based on coherence, standards alignment, and usability. Also useful are review rubrics, such as those published by Louisiana Department of Education, and Culturally Responsive Curriculum Scorecards were developed recently through a collaboration between researchers, parents, students, and educators in New York City.  Generally, there are no applicable rubrics to rate the quality of college curricula, although Courseware in Context provides a framework for assessing the quality of digital courseware in higher education.  However, these tools do not assess cultural responsiveness or relevance.


Data on which curricula are in use in pre-K programs, K–12 schools, and postsecondary institutions currently are not collected systematically. Chingos and Whitehurst suggest that foundations could play a role in providing start-up funding to establish systemic data collection mechanisms in K–12 settings, and Polikoff  summarizes challenges to collecting and analyzing curriculum adoption data at scale. We encourage systems to begin systematically tracking which curricula are in use as an important first step toward measuring this indicator.

Source frameworks

Ten source frameworks reviewed for this report include a measure of access to quality, culturally responsive curricula for instruction. Our recommendation to emphasize cultural relevance as a critical component of curriculum quality is consistent with recommendations put forth by StriveTogether, the National Research Council,  the Alliance for Resource Equity, and Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes in collaboration with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).

References

The framework's recommendations are based on syntheses of existing research. Please see the framework report for a list of works cited.