Chief Executive Officer Paul Vallas stresses that the lesson plans are optional and intended to serve as a model and support. One hundred Chicago teachers authored them, working part time from January to July. Thirteen elementary schools and seven high schools have volunteered to try them out this fall. She also points out that teachers need only one class in curriculum and instruction for certification. Some schools may not have anyone, even a principal, with the necessary background.
Some experts are less optimistic.
Even lesson plans of high quality, they say, are at best a good first step. For one, lesson plans won't solve the problem of poor school organization, says Bryk of the research consortium. Students probably will not master the material at the same rate, so teachers will still have to decide whether to reteach a lesson or move on. Lesson plans will do little to shore up teachers with a weak math background, says Paul Sally, a University of Chicago mathematics professor. They don't even have the capability of interpreting it.