After teaching middle school for 18 years, I was ready for a new challenge. While I loved my job as an educator, I longed for a more active role in the district. I knew I wanted to stay in the realm of education, so I set my aspirations on becoming a curriculum director. I was longing to have a new set of daily challenges while staying involved in education where my heart was still deeply entrenched.
After speaking to the principal at my school about obtaining a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, he suggested I instead obtain a master’s degree in school leadership to become more widely marketable. His advice helped me to decide on pursuing my M.A. in School Leadership with Ohio Principal Licensure through OAESA in conjunction with Concordia University Chicago, and I have never regretted this decision.
Within nine months of gaining this degree, I was named the new curriculum director at the same district where I was already working and loved dearly.
What Does a Curriculum Director Do?
Numerous responsibilities land on the shoulders of a curriculum director. While these roles vary greatly based on the district, some core aspects remain a common thread, regardless of where you chose to work.
- Choosing or creating curriculum for teachers to adopt
- Supporting teachers in the implementation of said curriculum
- Evaluating the effectiveness of the curriculum
- Keeping the teaching staff up-to-date with educational developments
- Fostering collaboration vertically and horizontally within your school
- Ensuring curricula aligns to the standards established by the state
- Arranging effective professional development or workshops for teachers to help them efficiently utilize the adopted curriculum
- Guiding teachers with designing and implementing curriculum and assessments
- Ensuring that the assessments students are taking are preparing them for the high-stakes tests outlined by state and federal requirements
- Reviewing testing data
- Supporting and mentoring teachers as needed
- Providing feedback to school administrators regarding teachers’ utilization of curriculum materials
- Creating a sturdy base for student learning
- Preparing students for life after high school
Curriculum Director Requirements: Skills
A curriculum director must have a wide artillery of skills to be effective in this position.
Communication
Every day, a curriculum director communicates with multiple school administrators, teachers, students, parents, and community partners. Expectations must be clearly expressed to a variety of individuals.
Listening Skills
Perhaps more important that speaking is listening. Any good communicator knows that you must listen to the needs and desires of people to try to find compromise and common ground. Daily, I listen to struggles of the teachers in my district. Sometimes they have issues I can fix, but mostly, they just want someone to listen to the struggles of using a new curriculum or preparing students for a state test.
Collaboration
Frequently, I foster collaboration among whole departments of teachers when planning vertical and horizontal alignment. It greatly benefits students if I am successful in obtaining collaboration among the groups of teachers I am working with. Building consistency comes through collaboration.
Leadership
A curriculum director must be able to lead a group of teachers in their development, utilization, and reflection of curriculum materials.
Organizational Skills
A curriculum director must have an abundance of organizational skills to balance a wide variety of daily tasks which coincide simultaneously.
Fostering Relationships
Possibly the most critical aspect of a curriculum director’s job is working with people and trying to get them to work in conjunction toward a common goal. People want to be seen, heard, and appreciated, rightfully so. I make it a goal of mine to create relationships with the individuals I work with. You are more willing to work for someone when you feel seen and heard. So, I always take the time to get to know people personally. It will pay dividends when working collaboratively in a meeting down the road!
Motivating
Finally, it is essential to be a motivator. A curriculum director can be a disruptor to the status quo. In order to get people to be open to change, I have to dig deep to motivate teachers to change. I always have to help teachers focus on our common denominator, our reason for change: students. With the right motivation and support, teachers will always side with what is best for students.
Curriculum Director Requirements: Education
One cannot just choose to be a curriculum director on a whim; there are a succession of stepping stones one must take on the route to becoming one. While these requirements vary by location, some requirements are to be expected. At the very least, one must have a bachelor’s degree in education and several years of teaching experience to have a basic understanding of curriculum.
Master’s Degree
More than likely, a school will require a candidate to have a master’s degree since curriculum director is often considered an administration position. OAESA’s graduate degrees would be a wonderful place for you to begin this journey. I obtained my M.A. fully online by taking 33 credit hours in only two years. This master’s degree prepared me fully for the role I obtained as curriculum director in my district.
Principal’s License
While not required everywhere, some districts, such as mine, require a curriculum director to also have a principal’s license. I oftentimes help support the district’s principals in their daily tasks and act as a sounding board when the principals are completing teacher evaluations or looking into school policy. The program I completed through OAESA and Concordia University Chicago prepared me perfectly with this stipulation since my degree came in tandem with a principal’s license.
Normally, a master’s degree is sufficient to obtain a curriculum director’s position, but if you wish to further your knowledge in curriculum, OAESA also offers a flexible online curriculum and instruction doctoral program which can be completed in just four years to provide an even deeper perspective of curriculum and instruction.
Why Should You Consider a Curriculum Director Position?
There are several reasons you should consider taking a role as a curriculum director. To start, if you have the drive to make a larger impact in your school, what better place than in curriculum? I know that my efforts and work impacts, not just a classroom or grade of students; my decisions impact a district of students. I know that every decision I make will directly impact the district’s students’ preparation for proficiency tests, graduation, career readiness, and adulthood.
Another perk to becoming a curriculum director is the salary. While varying greatly by district and location, curriculum director positions are mainly administrative in nature, and they often come with a higher salary.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2021, the average salary of a curriculum director was $63,740, with the highest 10% of curriculum directors making an average of $101,090 per year.
Furthermore, another reason you should consider a curriculum director position is the availability of jobs. The U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics stated that in the decade of 2020-2030, there is an anticipated 10% increase in the demand for curriculum directors; approximately 18,400 new positions are expected to become available in the next decade.
Additionally, by working as a curriculum director, I am continually gaining experience, which may open additional doors to future jobs down the road. After working as a curriculum director for two years, I have learned about multiple aspects of education that I was not privy to as a teacher. I have the background knowledge now that would make me more marketable if I decided I wanted to become a principal, work for a state governmental agency, or a post-secondary position.
Finally, other benefits come with a curriculum director position. Again, these benefits vary based on location, but as an administrator, your medical insurance may be covered by the district, you may receive a larger contribution towards retirement, or you may receive a higher amount of life insurance provided by the district.
One common misconception of a curriculum director job is that you will not get to enjoy a summer off. However, you may be surprised to learn that as curriculum director, you might have more vacation days that you can use in the summer. Also, in my district, I am on an eleven-month contract, allowing me to have an entire month off in the summer to spend with my children to create memories and enjoy each other’s company.
How to Become a Curriculum Director
If you are interested in becoming a curriculum director, I urge you to start the process now! The only regret that I have about obtaining my degree through OAESA and beginning a new career is taking so long to get started. My new role as curriculum director has given me the fulfillment, excitement, and enrichment that I was craving.
Once you decide upon a program that will suit you, the enrollment process is easy! You can reserve a seat in the program of your choice, arrange for financial aid, and fulfill the application requirements to get started. Step-by-step instructions are outlined on OAESA’s website for you to follow.
If you are looking for a challenging and rewarding career as a curriculum director, I urge you to get started today.
Looking to advance your career and continue your education? Check out our available graduate degree programs and get started today!