Meet the CSA Team: Eric Placek

portrait of eric placek

Interviewer: What is your name?

Eric: Eric Placek

Interviewer: What is your position at CSA?

Eric: Alignment Manager, Humanities

Interviewer: What does that position entail?

Eric: I receive alignment requests from educational publishing companies and fulfill those requests by explaining the project to a correlator, who will align the requested program and educational standards. In some cases, I will perform the alignment myself, and I always review the work to ensure accuracy and implement any feedback the client may have.

Interviewer: How did you become a part of CSA?

Eric: I joined the company in 2015 as my first full-time job after college, working in the Editorial department. Eventually, I shifted over to Alignment Services and have taken on more management responsibilities over time.

Interviewer: What is the best part of your job?

Eric: The best part of my job is receiving positive feedback from a client after submitting a project. I take pride in providing quality work to our clients, so I enjoy knowing that we have done a good job and helped to encourage that client to come back to us with more projects.

Interviewer: What do you wish people knew about your work at CSA?

Eric: I would like more people to be aware of Alignment and its importance in the process of Curriculum Development. Alignments are used to decide which textbooks and programs are adopted by states and school districts, so they have a direct impact on students’ education at every grade level.

Interviewer: What do you wish schools focused on more in terms of education and why? 

Eric: I don’t have the same kind of education background as some of my colleagues at CSA, so my opinion on this subject is not as informed. However, I think there should be an increased focus on computer-based education, like programming and coding. I would also like there to be more attention paid to some of the unpleasant moments in American history. This has gotten better in certain history/social studies programs I have worked on in recent years, but I am speaking from my own education, in that I was never taught about the Tulsa race massacre or similar incidents.

Interviewer: What are three interesting facts about you?

Eric: I have played hockey almost my whole life, I can play the drums, and I have a 6-month-old Corgi puppy.

Click here to learn more about Eric!

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