Abstract:
Does curriculum change affect teaching practices? We investigate this question using a randomized experiment in the Philippines where a subset of public schools piloted a new basic education curriculum. Through both self-reported surveys and classroom observations, we document modest changes in teaching practices attributable to the reform, primarily through increased teacher collaboration rather than direct curricular effects. However, our mediator analysis reveals that the curriculum's impact on student performance operates predominantly through direct pathways (0.34 SD increase) rather than through improved teaching practices. Specific teacher practices, particularly collaboration, assessment and feedback practices, and value for reading literacy, emerged as stronger indicators of classroom teaching proficiency than demographic or contextual factors. These findings suggest that curriculum reform may operate through dual pathways: directly improving student outcomes through better curriculum design, while simultaneously building professional capacity through enhanced collaboration. This distinction has important implications for educational reform strategies and professional development policies.
