School leadership is comprised of many components; including curriculum development. In my opinion, curriculum development is more than just implementing and monitoring the programs. It encompasses reviewing materials, aligning to the standards, researching the demographics of the school and identify potential barriers for students to accessing the curriculum. Curriculum is not passive, but rather active and responsive to what is happening in the school and the classrooms, all while aligned to the state standards.
The curriculum leader I interviewed in my district is Jessica Kauffman, Department Chairperson for Social Studies and Special Education at Millville High School. Ms. Kaufman has been the Department Chairperson for five years. Prior
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Kauffman highlighted several characteristics that she felt were essential to a successful supervisor in the district. The first characteristic she identified was that a leader needs to have integrity and honesty. She stated that a “leader must make a personal commitment to be honest with themselves and maintain integrity.” A leader should be true to their word and not afraid to admit mistakes and learn from them. Another characteristic we discussed was confidence. A leader should be confident and approachable to their staff. They should have the end goal in mind in all situations and remain calm and confident and inspire their staff. A leader should also be willing to empower their staff to make decisions for their classroom, the students and the good of the school. The last characteristic we talked about was a willingness to learn. A leader must have a willingness to learn. Kauffman states that “as a leader, you do not always know the answered and you need to be able to say when you do not and be willing to learn and get the answers that are need.” In addition, she stated, “leaders often learn from their staff, and one need to be humble enough to do