Running head: CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION

Curriculum Implementation
Rogelio Nava Jr.
Concordia University, Texas

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Curriculum Implementation
In this chapter of Curriculum Foundations, Principles, and Issues authors Ornstein and
Hunkins tackle the second last component of curriculum design. The implementation process is
a challenging one to maneuver, as it is often fraught with emotional reactions at nearly every
stage. The authors identify people, programs, and processes as determining factors in the
success, failure, or apathy towards implementing curriculum. Communication is established a
significant process when implementing curriculum. The curriculum specialist must understand
and engage in the type of communication employed at a particular campus or group of schools.
Doing so would allow those affected by curriculum implementation to become active
participants in the process thereby creating buy-in. Support for the new curriculum takes on
many forms. It can manifest as the curriculuarist simply providing guidance and support, to
campus administration providing meaningful professional development. In order to maintain a
clear understanding of the ever-evolving nature of curriculum, a definition of student success or
achievement must be constructed. Attaining a consensus of what student success looks like is
still hotly debated in our increasingly global world where classroom student diversity is
continuously increasing. The authors outline the five guidelines necessary for successful
curriculum implementation, 1. Innovations designed to improve student achievement must be
technically sound 2. Successful innovation requires change in the structure of a traditional school
3. Innovation must be manageable and feasible for the average teacher 4. Implementation of
successful change efforts must be organic rather than bureaucratic 5. Avoid the do something,
anything syndrome. The three main stages of change include initiation, which sets the stage for
the forthcoming implementation and helps get the school ready for change, implementation as
the catalyst for educators to determine and develop strategies to meet classroom needs, and

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maintenance which involves monitoring and evaluating the curriculum and its affect on learning.
As emotional beings hardwired to resist change, the trepidation experienced by many educators
has long been acknowledged and attributed to 12 reasons lack of ownership, lack of benefits,
increased burdens, lack of administrative support, loneliness, insecurity, norm incongruence,
boredom, chaos, differential knowledge, sudden wholesale change, and unique points of
resistance such as unexpected circumstances. The authors go on to state that when determining
the best course to take two approaches diverge, precise versus less structured. Once the approach
is determined then one of the five curriculum implementation models or a combination of them
is decided upon. The first, overcoming resistance to change, addresses the issue of resistance
head on by addressing staff concerns. Organizational development is vertical in nature and is
based upon on the idea that implementation never really ends as frequent interactions between
administrators, directors, and supervisors keeps it from becoming static. Concerns-based
adoption adopts a more humanistic approach as its focus is the schools culture and does not force
those affected by the implementation to readily accept change. In the systems model recognizes
the contributions made by each independent entity involved in the curriculum implementation
process by allowing them the freedom to project their feelings onto the process and take
ownership by adapting the curriculum to meet various needs. Educational change on the other
hand embraces a wider group of participants such as administrators, teachers, students, school
board, community members, and the government and promotes discussion between these groups.
I appreciated the authors understanding of the nuances involved in curriculum
implementation and felt as though they were speaking from a wealth of experience. There were
many points that caused me to realize he deeply intricate nature of just curriculum
implementation let alone all the other components. In reading this chapter I came to the

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conclusion that although the different implementation models vary, sometimes drastically from
each other, the best approach may not be singular in nature and that because curriculum itself is
inherently evolving and adaptable then so too should the models.

References

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Ornstein, A., & Hunkins, F. (2013). Curriculum: Foundations, principles, and issues (6th ed.).
Boston: Pearson.