Schools districts are fairly uniform in the course offerings provided to public school students. A few schools or districts may venture off the well-traveled path to provide a creative alternative to the usual academic fare, but most students study similar subjects.
However, curriculum developers sometimes are open to new ideas for courses that may meet an unserved population or an untaught need. If you have an idea for a new course that may benefit the students at your child's school, the following guidelines may be able to help you introduce it to school authorities:
1. Meet with the teacher. If your course idea is geared toward sixth graders, make an appointment with the sixth grade teacher(s) to discuss it. Ask for a time that is convenient for their schedules, such as after school or following a special event, such as parent conferences.
2. Prepare a one- or two-page proposal to give them ahead of time. Your outline should address criteria like the following:
-why is the course needed?
-how will it be taught?
-what are the course learning objectives?
-how do these fit with the overall grade plan?
-how much will it cost the school system?
-who will benefit?
-how will students benefit?
-how can teachers evaluate the course?
If you do not have all this information, take what is available at this time. At the meeting, invite questions and feedback. If teachers feel the course cannot be offered at this time, thank them for their time. If they like the idea, set a meeting with the principal and invite the teachers to come along.
3. Get parental feedback. If the administrator agrees that the proposal has merit, ask if you can send a handout home with students for their parents telling them of the course idea and inviting feedback. A short survey might be helpful in which you ask questions about parents' interest in the course, confirm their willingness to pay course fees (perhaps $50 per student), and invite feedback. If you get a good response (roughly 10% of the total number of surveys distributed), ask the administrator if the course can be tried next year or if it must be approved by the curriculum committee or the school board.
4. If the principal agrees to try the course next year, put your proposal into the teachers' hands and wait to see how it fares. But if the idea needs to be reviewed by the curriculum committee or the school board, distribute copies of your proposal before the next meeting and offer to attend to answer questions. Invite one or more teachers to go with you.
5. Once a decision has been made at this level, you will probably be able to put the idea to bed. Either the school system will approve your idea and agree to implement it the following year, or you will be told, "Thanks, but no thanks." If the latter, take heart in knowing that you tried, and perhaps the idea was rejected for good reason. You also may want to offer it to a neighboring school district. Having gone through the process once, you will have a better idea of how to do it again should the need arise.
Developing a new course proposal allows parents to take an active role in ensuring that their children receive plentiful opportunities for a quality education. Even if the proposal isn't adopted, you can feel good knowing that you tried to improve the curriculum, and perhaps it is doing just find after all.
