“Filling the Void: Lessons from Core Knowledge Schools” is available from the Core Knowledge Foundation.
A strong, detailed curriculum, coupled with the teacher training and other resources to make it work, can play a key role in improving student achievement, particularly among students from low-income and minority backgrounds, says a report that was set for release this week. The report was produced by the Core Knowledge Foundation, a Charlottesville, Va.-based nonprofit organization that has developed its own detailed outline of specific content students should know, across many subjects. That program, known as the “Core Knowledge Sequence,” has been used in schools across the country in grades K-8 and preschool for 15 years.
The report provides information on schools that have tested the curriculum in Colorado, Delaware, Texas, and other states. While the report’s authors describe Core Knowledge’s program in detail, they also say that other approaches to establishing common curricula can work, too.
