The goal of Phase I is to select materials that support a clear and common vision of great instruction for the subject, with stakeholder participation in the process. Teachers are central to every great selection story and reported learning from the process when it was done well.
More About Phase I
The goal of this key action is to procure all necessary materials and get them into teachers’ hands before training.
There is nothing more frustrating than being asked to try something new, but not being given the resources you need for it to be successful. And nothing will undermine confidence in the support a system leader promises than getting materials later than promised. On the flip side, there is nothing more fun than getting the materials, opening them, and leafing through them for the first time. Once the decision on the curriculum has been made, the first question teachers will ask is “When do I get my materials?” System leaders have a lot of options for how they can obtain different materials today. This is good because it can free up funds, but it can also complicate decision-making. Getting this step right – a step that is historically a pain for all involved – is a refreshing change and deeply investing for all involved. Hopefully you have worked this into your timeline already. If not, don’t worry. Get your information together, make decisions, and communicate realistic expectations for delivery that you can meet or beat.
We use the word procure to describe the process of obtaining materials. We use the word distribute to include all actions needed to get materials into teacher and student hands. The term open source here refers to materials that are in the public domain and therefore may need to be printed but will not need to be purchased. We use the word distributor to refer to anyone – a developer or printer or third party – that produces and shares materials.