School Curriculum Director Jobs

Curriculum directors work closely with administrators and teachers to ensure students are receiving a quality-designed education.

Also known as instruction coordinators, curriculum specialists, and curriculum developers, their main responsibilities are to create and implement an effective curriculum and provide teachers with valuable professional development experiences.

Curriculum directors must have a graduate degree in education. Certification or licensure is required in either education or education administration. Typical candidates have previous teaching experience. Larger school districts may be able to employ several curriculum specialists who specialize in individual areas like reading and mathematics. For specialized positions, a bachelor’s degree or teaching expertise in the given area is needed.

Usually part of the school administration, curriculum developers tend to work a year round schedule. As of 2008, the average salary for an instructional coordinator was US$56,880 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The director of curriculum must be up to date with recent trends and studies in student instruction methods. She must be able to analyze various educational programs and materials to decide what should be utilized in the given school district. The curriculum developer will often collaborate with teams of teachers to review possible new materials and make curricular decisions. Choices must be monitored regularly for effectiveness. Performance data measurements must be designed, utilized, and evaluated. Along with choosing the best materials, the curriculum developer is often responsible for the corresponding budgeting decisions.

Increasingly, the instruction coordinator has an important role of integrating technology into the standard curriculum. More and more options exist for interactive, online education programs that can be incorporated into the regular classroom. The curriculum developer must assess the programs, choose ones that will encourage learning, and make sure the program is well implemented. They also help identify the need for technology learning tools like interactive white boards, student response systems, and computer labs.

When new programs or practices are to be included in the curriculum, it is often the task of the curriculum specialist to provide teacher training. The curriculum developer must collaborate well with the teaching staff. Curriculum specialists are often involved in the training process of new teachers.

Also, they work closely with the district’s principals to identify school needs and topics for professional development.

Analyzing standardized test scores and meeting accountability goals is an important role of the curriculum developer. Annual improvement goals should be established. The curriculum developer is responsible for monitoring progress and designing intervention strategies for areas of learning weakness.

As an administration position, demands in the areas of meetings and paperwork are high. It is also difficult to be an effective curriculum specialist is schools with limited resources. Creativity, attention to detail, and interpersonal skills are essential to overcome obstacles of the job.

Curriculum developers receive great satisfaction from helping to create a solid, meaningful learning program for all students. Strong relationships are built with other administrators and the teaching staff in a joint quest for student excellence.

More information can be found at the following resource.

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Website: www.ascd.org/