Core Knowledge in the News

Recent News

"Nonfiction Curriculum Enhanced Reading Skills, Study Finds"
By Anna M. Phillips, New York Times, March 11, 2012
Children in New York City who learned to read using an experimental curriculum that emphasized nonfiction texts outperformed those at other schools that used methods that have been encouraged since the Bloomberg administration’s early days, according to a new study to be released Monday.

"How to Stop the Drop in Verbal Scores"
By E.D. Hirsch Jr., New York Times, September 19, 2011
A decline in reading and writing scores on the SAT demonstrate that current reform strategies focused on testing and improving teacher quality are not enough.

"First, Do No Harm"
By E.D. Hirsch Jr., Education Week, January 14, 2010
The Common Core language arts standards say that students must command a “base of knowledge across a wide range of subject matter by engaging with works of quality and substance.”  Less admirable is their reliance on technical and formal descriptions of language proficiencies.

"Common Core Standards could revolutionize reading instruction"
By E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Washington Post, April 6, 2010
Facts must be faced. We are making no progress at all in teaching children to read in the United States. By insisting that non-literary subjects should be generously represented in the long classroom hours devoted to literacy, the Common Core State Standards may provide desperately needed wind we need to move forward.

"School reform's next frontier: Translate new standards into good curriculum that puts reading first"
By E.D. Hirsch, Jr., New York Daily News, September 27, 2010
The surest way to ensure a rise in reading scores is to induce a big rise in vocabulary size.  You build a strong vocabulary by acquiring real knowledge from early on.  Fortunately, this powerful connection between verbal ability and general knowledge is reflected in the new Common Core State Standards.  But will that trickle down into day-to-day curriculum?

"E. D. Hirsch’s Curriculum for Democracy"
By Sol Stern, City Journal, Autumn 2009
If the Obama administration truly wants to have a positive impact on American education, it should embrace Core Knowledge founder E. D. Hirsch’s ideas.

More...

News From Core Knowledge Schools

"P.S. 26 Gets Set To Kick Off Pilot Reading Program"
New York 1 News
September 1, 2008
P.S. 26 in Queens is one of ten city schools that has opted into the Core Knowledge Reading Program for the upcoming school year.

Core Knowledge in the Blogosphere

E.D. Hirsch Jr.: Common Core Standards could revolutionize reading instruction
Washingtonpost.com
The Answer Sheet
April 6, 2010
E. D. Hirsch, Jr. comments on the Common Core Standards.

"An Interview with Matthew Davis: Core Knowledge in New York City!"
EducationNews.org
September 9, 2008
Dr. Matt Davis, director of the Core Knowledge Reading Program, discusses the development of the program and its New York City pilot test.

"Reading and Knowledge: An Interview with E. D. Hirsch"
Public School Insights
September 2, 2008
Core Knowledge founder E. D. Hirsch discusses the test of the Core Knowledge Reading Program in New York City elementary schools, and his dismay that so many schools have narrowed their curricula in the wake of No Child Left Behind.

"Three cheers for Joel Klein!!?"
Common Core
September 2, 2008
A New York City pilot program, developed by the Core Knowledge Foundation, stresses phonics along with students’ need to have broad content knowledge of the liberal arts and sciences. This is the sermon we’ve been preaching all along–that students can only learn to read and read better when they know something. We’re glad Joel Klein agrees, and hope that students at far more than just 10 of NYC’s schools will soon benefit.

"Core Knowledge Gains Ground in a Balanced Literacy Stronghold"
Early Stories: Commentary on Coverage of Children's Learning
August 26, 2008
The Core Knowledge Blog has a entry in which a progressive educator "confesses" that he had wrongly rejected the Hirsch approach. It's interesting because it illustrates the reaction of many educators who fear overemphasizing knowledge for fear that it undercuts understanding. Strange, I know.