Evidence-based and inclusive educational content is key to student success.

At the Johns Hopkins School of Education, our groundbreaking curriculum studies work focuses on understanding and improving the delivery and design of educational content. In this area, our accomplished faculty members and scholars examine effective program design and delivery and promote a holistic approach to curriculum development that prioritizes equity, diversity, and inclusivity.

Recognizing that local and federal policies significantly impact what students learn and when they learn it, our research emphasizes the interplay between policy and curriculum development. Consequently, our curriculum studies work makes vital contributions to education reform and helps advocate for equitable curriculum policies and programs that benefit all students.

PEOPLE OF SOE

Ashley Rogers Berner, PhD

Associate Professor and Director, Institute for Educational Policy

"There is great unevenness in the actual quality of the texts teachers are choosing in terms of accuracy, in terms of beauty, in terms of quality of writing, and in terms of the capacity of the texts to evoke emotion and to drive important conversations.”

Ashley Berner headshot.

Evaluation of English and social studies curricula reveals that many districts around the nation have made strides in representation since 2018. However, Ashley Berner and her colleagues at the Institute for Educational Policy also found that the breadth and quality of material lags behind that of our international peers. IEP worked with Baltimore City Schools to develop a new, more diverse K-8 curriculum and create stronger, more robust units for higher grades.

Our Curriculum Experts

The Johns Hopkins School of Education is home to some of the nation’s top experts, thought leaders, and mentors in the field of curriculum studies.

  • David Steiner, PhD

    Professor
    Executive Director, Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy

    Affiliation

    Institute for Education Policy, SOE Leadership

    Expertise

    Curriculum Studies, Education Policy & Politics, Research, Evaluation & Assessment

    Headshot of David  Steiner,  PhD
  • Ashley Rogers Berner, PhD

    Associate Professor
    Director, Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy

    Affiliation

    Institute for Education Policy, SOE Leadership

    Expertise

    Curriculum Studies, Education Policy & Politics, Research, Evaluation & Assessment

    Headshot of Ashley Rogers Berner, PhD
  • Alanna Bjorklund-Young, PhD

    Assistant Professor

    Affiliation

    Institute for Education Policy

    Expertise

    Curriculum Studies, Education Policy & Politics

    Headshot of Alanna  Bjorklund-Young,  PhD
  • Steven M. Ross, PhD

    Professor
    Director, Center for Research and Reform in Education

    Affiliation

    Center for Research and Reform in Education, SOE Leadership

    Expertise

    Curriculum Studies, Research, Evaluation & Assessment

    Headshot of Steven M. Ross, PhD
  • Affiliation

    Center for Research and Reform in Education

    Expertise

    Curriculum Studies

    Headshot of Nancy  Madden, PhD
  • Amanda Neitzel (Inns), PhD

    Assistant Professor
    Deputy Director of Evidence Research, Center for Research and Reform in Education

    Affiliation

    Center for Research and Reform in Education

    Expertise

    Curriculum Studies, Research, Evaluation & Assessment

    Headshot of Amanda  Neitzel (Inns),  PhD
  • Affiliation

    Center for Social Organization of Schools

    Expertise

    Curriculum Studies, Research, Evaluation & Assessment

    Headshot of Douglas  J.  Mac Iver, PhD