- There is a new emphasis on curriculum, which has become the center of conversation in schools. "Now we actually have a curriculum that drives what we're doing in classrooms," Leibowitz said. As a result, teachers are better able to discuss their practice with colleagues."For the first time in my experience," Leibowitz asserted, "people on a grade level, in a subject area, or teaching a course at a high school are [feeling] a responsibility to all have the same destination." The curriculum that a student experiences will no longer vary depending on what part of town that student lives in, she said.
- Schools have become more student-centered. "We are now putting into place practices that [show] that we are concerned about all students," Leibowitz said. "For negative reasons—accountability, tests—we are now paying attention to every child." This shift requires educators to develop a far greater repertoire of teaching strategies, she noted.
- Professional development has become critical. "We are now looking at professional development as key to all this change," Leibowitz said. "It is no longer an event; it is a process." More educators are acting as "critical friends" for one another and pursuing action research.
- Educators are taking a "systems" view. "What drives the system now is: What do we want kids to know and be able to do?" Leibowitz said. Professional development, for example, now focuses on the skills that teachers need to deliver the targeted student learning; a "potpourri of good practices" is no longer good enough. "We are establishing a clear focus for our decision making in schools, and we are developing a way to assess what we are doing."
- Communication has increased enormously, both among educators and with parents, she noted. Many schools are informing parents about the curriculum in much more detail than they have in the past.
The standards movement has created a focus for teaching and learning, Leibowitz said. "What we're beginning to see is that when people are focused, amazing things begin to happen with kids. Whether the standards are here or not, agreeing on what's important—having that dialogue—is making an enormous difference."
"Whatever happens with the standards movement, the curriculum has got to drive teaching and learning," Leibowitz emphasized. "We have got to keep that at the center."