Finding the Best Curriculum for Your School

Finding curriculum is hard! There are so many options, and sometimes it can be overwhelming and difficult to distinguish what is most important. Here at Palmetto Fortis, we want to help you do what is best for your school, so we sat down with Karrie Edwards, Textbook Training Coordinator at Purposeful Design Publications. We asked her all the important questions you might have when trying to find the right textbooks. 

Karrie Edwards was a Christian school elementary teacher for over 22 years. She has dedicated her life to helping train and equip the next generation. Karrie became involved in curriculum training while she was still teaching because she saw how crucial it was for teachers to fully understand the tools they were using. She then moved into a full-time position at Purposeful Design Publications, training teachers how to choose and use curriculum correctly. She has been in this full-time role for 4 years and loves it! Here are Karrie's insights into what is most important when choosing curriculum.

What is the most important thing to consider when choosing new curriculum or evaluating your current curriculum? ​

There are a few things that you should think about when deciding what curriculum would be best for your school.

1. "Does this curriculum follow the national or state standard of education requirements, and does this curriculum accomplish the same ESO (expected student outcomes) that I have laid out for this grade?"

This is very important because many states are beginning to require that all schools follow certain standards of curriculum. It is also important because, like Purposeful Design’s curriculum, all curriculums should be research-based, focus on building skills, and use best practices that will benefit all different learning styles. It is so important for curriculums to complement the teacher that is using them. Textbooks are tools that aid in learning, but at Purposeful Design Publications they believe that schools—not publishers—develop curriculum. Curriculum is far more than just a textbook. 

2. "Is biblical worldview integrated all throughout this curriculum?"

The beauty of Christian education is that we get to teach the next generation by integrating who God is and how He wants us to see the world into every school subject. Choosing a curriculum that helps you do this is essential. The right curriculum will have a Christian worldview woven into all student material, making it much easier for teachers and students.

3. "Is this curriculum user-friendly for both veteran and novice teacher?"

Starting a new curriculum is a daunting and challenging task that teachers must take on. Learning a new teaching curriculum and a new system can be incredibly difficult and time-consuming. Purposeful Design offers complimentary training and help for all teachers. This incredible service allows for teachers to be experts with their tools, making them more successful in the classroom and alleviating some of the stress of the new curriculum. ​​

Free Curriculum Training

What are some strengths of Purposeful Design Curriculum?

There are so many strengths that Purposeful Design has to offer. Purposeful Design's goal is to create curriculum that encompasses the knowledge and skills that students are expected to acquire as they are nurtured to be lifelong disciples of Jesus. 

1. All Purposeful Design textbooks are standards-based. This means that there is proof of valid educational research done by a research and development team for many years before publishing.
2. They combine best practices that are studied and proven to be successful, so that Purposeful Design has the best of the best, plus an integrated biblical worldview. 
3. Purposeful Design Textbooks and Teacher Manuals are incredibly user-friendly. They want teachers to be able to successfully use their curriculum. They also provide FREE teacher curriculum training for every customer. 

Learn More about free curriculum trainig