For any educational institution, adopting the best curriculum available is one of the most important precursors to ensuring the highest-quality teaching and most effective learning. Procuring the right tools and using them for academic improvement, however, has traditionally required way too much time, effort and money. The process must be made less complex.
As we know, curriculum is at the core of academic success within our educational systems. It supports critical processes that are intended to help institutions and students alike reach essential learning objectives. And because it impacts students on every level—academic, social, physical, cultural, emotional and personal—it is essential to consistently embed the right curriculum to meet your district’s specific learning objectives and cater to the student population and organizational culture.
Realities of traditional instructional procurement
The current analog curriculum procurement process is outdated and inefficient. Often we wonder what is out there, what is new, and where to find it. Doing this requires that educators—already in very demanding jobs with students’ academic success on the line—jump through hoops and perform additional tasks that they just don’t have time or budgets for.
As long as instructional procurement has been around, it has been a challenge for even the most dedicated educators to find and implement the instructional resources that are best matched for their students. Educators have been required to dedicate valuable hours—time that should be spent on instruction—to searching for, finding, purchasing and implementing new curriculum. In some cases, curriculum adoption can take up to two frustratingly long years to complete!
Historically, there has not been a single location where educators could review data and information to make informed procurement decisions. Nor have there been many opportunities for educators to learn about new-to-market resources in a timely way. As a result, many continue to use curriculum that may be outdated or no longer relevant.
Traditionally, decision makers have been forced to spend many days at expos and conferences to gain exposure to new and innovative vendors and products. This is both time consuming and costly, requiring travel and related expenses that might otherwise be funneled into direct investments in learning and teaching.
The new paradigm: A digitized curriculum procurement marketplace
As a career educator and curriculum vendor, I have had a front-row seat to the myriad roadblocks to procuring high-quality curriculum for the betterment of our schools, teachers and students. Spending time on both sides of the curriculum procurement fence, it became clear to me that there was a tremendous opportunity to bring to the education space the same type of intuitive technology we use to shop for other products. So, after many years of navigating the landscape myself, I embarked on a mission to transform an antiquated process into a modern, intuitive one: a no-cost, digitized, two-way marketplace that brings vendors and their products right to the doorsteps of educators seeking new tools.
Curriculum selection, simplified
There are thousands of education products on the market with endless possibilities, but where can teachers go to, say, learn what’s new in robotics, find the latest in coding curriculum or track down culturally-relevant English texts? Typically, this has required hours upon hours of online searches, attendance at far-flung conferences and numerous meetings with vendors to learn whether their products are a potential match.
For these reasons, it is high time teachers have a comprehensive, easy way to perform the important task of finding exactly what they’re seeking. In fact, after experiencing the frustrations first-hand and learning just how dire the need to simplify our system was, I invested in my belief that we can do better.
The result? EdCuration: a one-stop-shop for the best curriculum materials and tools available
Visit EdCuration to sign up for a free account.
Easy, comprehensive searching
Tools that make it easier to adopt the best curriculum put educators in the driver’s seat. A platform such as EdCuration brings educators an opportunity they’ve never had before, offering an intelligent way to find the right resources while also easing the burden of time and cost.
Through this convenient online marketplace model, it is possible to search by grade level, subject, content area and featured products. Educators can now search for the products they need; find different options all in one place; evaluate and compare directly; make notes about the instructional resources they are considering; share notes with colleagues and committees; and even pilot featured innovative products. They can also communicate directly with vendors…no more waiting to be onsite at the next expo or sitting through multiple meetings.
Teachers deserve a method that dramatically shortens the procurement process while also making them aware of new, innovative, high-quality products. I believe educators across the nation will agree that it is time for a change that gives them control—one that finally makes it easy and effective to find the right tools and resources to directly help their students succeed. This is the new frontier.
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