CalCurriculum at the Carnegie Foundation Summit

Many learnings and sharing at the Carnegie Summit

By Gavin Reagins, Program Associate, Pivot Learning

I had the pleasure of representing the California Curriculum Collaborative at the Carnegie Summit this year and sharing learnings from our work with districts, counties, and charters across the state to support mathematics materials adoptions. 

This was my first year involved in this work and the summit was an opportunity to speak about our project with other education professionals. It was exciting to discuss our cohort model, objectives, and learnings with attendees. Our work sparked many dynamic conversations, specifically around the critical role of teachers in the materials adoption process. We focused on how to ensure teachers are genuinely engaged in the adoption and implementation process and how we ensure teachers are excited and invested in new materials selected.

Using our learnings from the cohort, I spoke to other participants about the difference it makes when teachers are a key part of the planning process before materials are selected. Attendees stopped by our poster and we discussed our work helping organizations use data to understand their local context and the potential opportunities to give teachers more agency around how materials are selected. 

The common denominator across all projects at the summit was the focus on teachers as the lever for student achievement. One interesting project came from work in Kentucky, where the department of education employed improvement strategies when implementing curriculum. They stated their work “…seeks to create a mindset shift in school culture toward a focus on process…” and at the heart of this process are the teachers. Effective change can’t take place without teachers engaged and empowered throughout the materials adoption process.

I had a wonderful time returning to in-person gatherings after such a long period away. This summit was the perfect opportunity to connect and learn with a broad community of leaders in the education space. I’m even more invigorated and excited to continue the work!