<HTML>Though clearly there are many more resources available for general studies
in the North America than for Judaics, the track record for successful
curriculum integration in public and private secular schools is not great.
Interested readers should look at the extensive research done by Michael
Fullan (OISE in Toronto) on school change and curriculum integration.
Fullan and many others write of the necessity for intensive on-site work on
the part of faculty to integrate curriculum. Schools of all sorts face
pressures for quick fixes, of which simply buying a new text book is
symptomatic. Those schools where teachers spend extensive time
collaboratively to integrate curriculum are considerably more successful
than those who just simply adopt a curriculum, introduce it a faculty
meeting, and then go on their merry way. Compounding this challenge is one
of the unique challenges of day schools in North America--severe
limitations of time due to dual curriculum demands. Time equals money, and
the funding situation is also severe in so many day schools.
Having a well-written curricular scope and sequence with useful textbooks
is only a very small part of the solution to effective learning (which is
the real goal here, is it not?), IMHO.</HTML>
