Ethical Case Simulation: Bending the Arc

Snapshot: This immersive ethical case simulation places you in the role of an instructional support specialist leading the rollout of a new culturally-responsive social studies curriculum across the Arc Charter network of middle schools. Through conversations with teachers, school leaders, and colleagues, you'll weigh competing perspectives as you decide how to allocate resources for the rollout, whether to continue the rollout as planned, and how schools can pursue educational justice while balancing diverse viewpoints, needs, and practical realities.

Case Description: Sophie Biel is an instructional support specialist leading the implementation of a new culturally responsive social studies curriculum across the Arc Charter network. Designed to help students grapple with history, identity, and justice, the curriculum has generated excitement, but also uncertainty, disagreement, and challenge. As Sophie visits classrooms and meets with teachers, administrators, and colleagues, she encounters dramatically different perspectives about what successful implementation should look like. Some educators see the curriculum as a moral imperative, while others worry about teacher preparedness, community pushback, student well-being, or potential tradeoffs with academic rigor. With limited resources and varying needs across schools, Sophie must decide how best to support the rollout and ultimately whether Arc should push ahead with the curriculum as planned.

This case centers on the ethical dilemmas that educators and leaders face when pursuing educational change. How should commitments to justice and equity be balanced with concerns about teacher capacity, student needs, academic priorities, and community trust? What does equitable implementation of new programs require when conditions vary across contexts? And when stakes are high, how do leaders decide whether to press forward with change or pause their plans?

This ethical case simulation presents videos and multimedia resources that introduce you to Arc Charter, Sophie, and the educators wrestling with these questions. You'll engage with multiple perspectives from across the school network before making key decisions about how to allocate resources, support teachers, and determine the future of the curriculum rollout. Throughout the simulation, you'll be prompted to reflect on the values shaping your decisions and record your reasoning as new information complicates the dilemma. The simulation takes approximately 45–90 minutes to complete.