Covey impressed me with his portion under "Not One More Thing." I especially liked the quotation from Richard DuFour qand Robert Eake, authors of Professional Learning Community. The two spoke of the American curricular tendency to attempt too much. Covey also freferred to statistics cited by Robert J. Marzano of "essential' and "non-essential" standards in fifth grade U.S. mathematics.
I think we do need to do more to prioritize. Just because a textbook has material does not mean we ahve to teach it. I taught U.S. history form beginning to end in one year twenty years ago. Now we think we need two years.
We also need to convey this message to state committees as they look toward new courses of study.