Curriculum Management as Knowledge Management: Strategies and Systems for Managing K-12 Instruction in U.S. Public Schools (with an emphasis on science) Ms.G Knowledge Management Systems Spring, 2005 Introduction How Curriculum Management is Knowledge Management Focus: National Secondary Science Curriculum Reform Efforts Seeds of Reform 1989: Science for All Americans 1993: Benchmarks for Science Literacy Benchmarks on Disk 1990s: Emerging Educational Standards 1996: National Science Education Standards “Informed Consensus:” Benchmarks vs. Standards Other Developments in the 1990s 1999: Designing Mathematics or Science Curriculum Programs 2000: Designs for Science Literacy Designs on Disk Connecting Components within Maps and Networks 2001: Atlas of Science Literacy 2001: NCLB Meanwhile: AI, IT, CBT, and “e-Learning” Systems The “Catch” of Curriculum Reform Toolsets and Software for Curriculum Design and Management: IDSs, CMSs, IMSs, LMSs, and/or LCMS Worldwide Instructional Design System (WIDS) An Aside: Specifications for Interoperable Technology for Education An Exemplary Example: SchoolNet Other CMS/IMS (etc.) systems Conclusion ReferencesTerm Research Paper: Curriculum Management as Knowledge Management Ms.G[at]NoitacudE.com INF385q March 24, 2005 Curriculum Management as Knowledge Management: Strategies and Systems for Managing K-12 Instruction in U.S. Public Schools (with an emphasis on science) By Ms.G (Ms.G[at]NoitacudE.com) For Knowledge Management Systems (INF 385Q) Spring, 2005 Introduction I begin this paper with the proposition that curriculum management is a deep knowledge management problem, and that developments in the field of knowledge management are profoundly relevant to the practice of education. Furthermore, technologies developed for knowledge management in social and industrial spheres (generally subsumed under “knowledge management systems”) are increasingly being transferred to or adopted in educational institutions. In this paper, I will trace the development of “curriculum reform” efforts, focusing on the recent development of national science education standards. Then, I will show how such “standards” are related to emerging “curriculum management” practices. Finally, I will demonstrate how these practices are supported by exemplary “curriculum management systems” (CMS) and related systems—variously called “instructional management systems” (IMS), “learning management systems” (LMS) and “learning content management systems” (LCMS). CurriculumManagementKnowledgeManagement_Final.doc Page 1 of 49 Last saved by F. Gress, 5/12/2005 12:01 PMTerm Research Paper: Curriculum Management as Knowledge Management Ms.G[at]NoitacudE.com INF385q March 24, 2005 How Curriculum Management is Knowledge Management Knowledge management (KM), in broad modern industrial-society terms, is the art and science of capturing, transferring, and applying knowledge—by and for those who want and need it—usually in a particular field or context. According to knowledge management gurus, knowledge management is concerned with five aspects of knowledge: generation, codification and coordination, transfer, roles and skills, and facilitating technologies (Davenport & Prusak, 2000). Educators are likewise concerned with capturing knowledge, codifying it, transferring it, determining the roles and skills of teachers and students, and—increasingly—leveraging technologies to support education. Curriculum, in the field of education, generally encompasses both what to teach and how to teach it, although these two aspects may be given different emphasis. Curriculum can also be paraphrased as a set of learning goals for students. From a broad view, curriculum management (CM)—the task of designing and delivering education—is a knowledge management task. For those in the practice of education, curriculum has various connotations. For federal and state governments, the curriculum typically means the range of courses that will be required and offered at schools and through which students will earn grades and diplomas. For a school district or campus administrator, the view of the curriculum is more detailed and typically includes a scope and sequence for each subject or course offered. For a classroom teacher, the view of the curriculum is more detailed still, breaking a semester or years’ syllabus into weekly or daily lesson plans. From a pure information-science viewpoint, curriculum is metadata about metadata—information about how to know what needs to be known. None of these views of a curriculum expressly articulate the ultimate purpose of the learning goals. Curriculum does not justify itself; presumably other forums exist to examine and CurriculumManagementKnowledgeManagement_Final.doc Page 2 of 49 Last saved by F. Gress, 5/12/2005 12:01 PMTerm Research Paper: Curriculum Management as Knowledge Management Ms.G[at]NoitacudE.com INF385q March 24, 2005 decide why students should have a particular curriculum. Nevertheless, arguments and disagreements about curriculum often have, at their root, differing values or social goals. Which brings us to one other context in which the concept of curriculum receives a great deal of consideration: education reform. To give a grossly simplified explanation: education reform is the political struggle over practices and norms in education. In the United States, the target in need of “reform” has varied but generally falls within daily norms in mainstream K-12 public schools. The public schools are perceived to be failing to educate students well enough to ensure the students’ individual employability and collective ability to compete internationally. Ironically, the history of “education reform” in the U.S. now encompasses many decades and several loose social movements, organized lobbies, government programs, and sweeping public policy changes. Many of these reform efforts have focused a significant amount of energy on curriculum reform. Some efforts have sought to reform what should be taught when, and some have attacked how it should be taught. Where consensus has developed, both aspects of curriculum are examined, and a holistic view of educational systems is promoted. Currently, the organized initiatives and government programs that have the most momentum are those that claim to be engaging in systemic reform. 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