SBCD TOOL. Management of the development of the educational program at school

Abstract

This article is dedicated to outline a procedure of localizing a qualitative diagnostic instrument for the process of curriculum development within Russian schools. This instrument is based on the school-based curriculum development (SBCD) approach which refers to practices that schools independently employ to develop their educational programs. The autonomy of schools in curriculum development is a common practice in many countries of the world, including Russia. However, the SBCD instrument needs localization to be used by school administrators of Russian schools. The SBCD instrument looks at the process of curriculum development in three dimensions: how it is developed, who of the members of a school community takes part in the process, and, finally, how often changes to the curriculum are made. The SBCD instrument allows the management team of a school to reflect on their curriculum development actions, and then decide how to arrange the process appropriately for their particular school. The article concludes that different managerial practices of curriculum development can be found at different Russian schools. These practices may be related to the locations of schools, their students needs, teaching staff, and other factors. As a result of the diagnostics, recommendations for changes in curriculum leadership practices at Russian schools could be proposed. For further use of the SBCD instrument in the practice of Russian school management it is necessary to test it on a larger sample, as well as to clarify its effects more precisely.