Great science curriculum should challenge students to ask questions, investigate phenomena, and explain their thinking. But for those experiences to happen, teachers need more than a sequence of lessons and a list of materials. They need practical support that helps them bring the curriculum to life. Designing for teachers doesn’t mean scripting every word they say. Teachers bring valuable experience, judgment, and knowledge of their students. Good instructional materials sho

A few weeks ago, I had a parent-teacher conference with my son’s third-grade teacher. Knowing that I develop science curriculum, she and I started talking about the science curriculum our school adopted this year. On paper, it looks great: nationally recognized, developed by respected institutions, and rated green across every gateway on EdReports. But when I asked how it was going in the classroom, she let out a tired sigh. Despite its impressive credentials, the curriculum

Differentiated instruction isn’t a new concept. Educational publishers have long provided teachers with leveled reading passages, choice boards, and tiered worksheets. As educators and curriculum developers look ahead, the conversation is shifting from prepackaged, static tiers to dynamic, hyperpersonalized learning. At the center of this evolution is emerging technology. AI-Powered Adaptive Learning Algorithms In the near future, differentiation won’t rely on a teacher assi

For decades, academic alignment has often been treated as a compliance exercise: We identify standards, map materials to those standards, and create correlation data charts to show that we’ve checked all the required boxes. While the process provides accountability, alignment, in fact, serves a far more meaningful purpose. True alignment is not simply about proving that a lesson, textbook, or assessment addresses a standard. It’s about creating a cohesive learning experience

Every couple of years, in schools across the country, a small group of students are pulled from their classes to take a test with results they’ll never see. Nothing goes home in a backpack. Their parents and teachers won’t see the results, and neither will their principal. Yet what those students do over the next hour or so becomes one of the most closely watched measures of how American students are learning. The test is the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NA

The ways we develop educational content continue to change. Publishers and curriculum teams are working across more formats, serving more markets, responding to changing standards, and finding new ways to make development faster and more efficient. Technology, including generative AI, is becoming another part of that conversation. As development changes, however, one thing remains constant: The content ultimately has to be right. Students and teachers depend on educational ma

Traditionally, course completion has been one of the clearest ways to measure educational success. Did a learner finish the course, earn the credit, graduate, or receive a credential? These outcomes still matter, and they always will. But they do not necessarily tell us whether someone is ready to take what they learned and use it. A learner can complete a course, pass the assessment, and earn a credential but still not feel prepared to apply those skills in an actual workp

The workforce is changing quickly, and CTE curriculum is being asked to keep pace. Artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics, automation, advanced manufacturing, health care innovation, and clean energy are changing how work gets done and what learners need to be prepared for. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, approximately 40 percent of workers’ existing skill sets are expected to change or become outdated by 2030. Skills such as anal