Curriculum Development

Internationals Network for Public Schools views curriculum development as a primary form of professional development. Therefore, the majority of curriculum development resides in the individual teacher and the interdisciplinary teams in the schools. As curriculum quality is one of the most significant factors determining student achievement, Internationals engages in many ways to support faculty as they develop their curriculum.

Curriculum Library

Internationals Network has collected 250 exemplary curriculum units across all discipline areas (as well as interdisciplinary projects) that serve as models of how to implement the Internationals Approach effectively with our students. Descriptions of the collected units are annotated and have been distributed to faculty in the network so that they know what units are available to help in their planning. The majority of the units have also been uploaded onto Internationals Network’s Knowledge Management system from which all Internationals faculty can download units and adapt for their own use. Special attention is given to collecting units on topics that are frequently taught across our schools.

Knowledge Management

Internationals has partnered with New Visions for Public Schools to develop a Knowledge Management system (KnowledgeBase) that serves as an online portal of curriculum, strategies, articles, and other documents that support our faculty and leaders in their work. Curriculum and other curriculum development documents are uploaded and searchable for easy access to all faculty members across our schools.

New Teacher Toolkits

Internationals has worked with the Professional Development Committee (comprised of one representative from each International High School) to develop an extensive toolkit for each discipline. The toolkits were distributed for the first time in the Summer of 2008 and are being revised for the Summer Institutes of 2009. They include curriculum samples, instructional strategies, curriculum maps and curriculum development guides, articles, videos, templates, tip sheets and other resources to facilitate teachers’ curriculum development and deepen their knowledge of the Internationals Approach.

Request for Proposals (RFP) Process

In order to enhance collaboration across International High Schools and to generate more curriculum development in target topics or around target skills, Internationals coordinates an RFP process. Through this process faculty members from across a minimum of two International High Schools apply for funding from Internationals to collaborate on a project that will in some way benefit the entire network of schools. Most projects are curricular in nature (examples of past/current RFP projects include: math teachers developing and documenting math projects that incorporate language development and important math content and skills; Humanities teachers developing sample curriculum and core strategies to address the needs of students with interrupted formal education, and Global history teachers who developed 10 project-based units that both incorporate the Internationals Approach and prepare students for the Global Regents exam.