Since 1990, when Three Oaks Elementary in Fort Myers, Florida, became the nation's first “Core Knowledge” school, more than 50 schools across the country have taken pioneering steps to teach the curriculum. Having had the opportunity to work with a number of these schools, I can offer a few observations about what it takes to turn Core Knowledge from theory into practice. Though there is no single model for success, Core Knowledge schools follow some common guidelines.
It takes, first, understanding, acceptance, and involvement among the school community. In the early stages it is important to involve administrators, school board members, and parents in becoming informed about Core Knowledge and in reaching agreement about plans and expectations. Educators who are accustomed to curriculum defined as broad skills and objectives will need to become familiar with the specific guidelines in the Core Knowledge curriculum, as well as the reasons they are so specific. This is also the time to confront any misunderstandings and objections.
One of the primary tasks of a school considering the Core Knowledge Sequence is to align it with the skills and outcomes required in local and state guidelines. Doing so allows educators to develop a consensus about curriculum consistent with the school's vision. It's also an important step in gaining commitment: teachers often see that there is much in the Core Knowledge Sequence that they already teach, that there are exciting new topics to explore, and that they now have explicit guidelines to help them cohere as a professional community.
Next, teachers face the task of bringing Core Knowledge to life in the classroom. To accomplish this difficult but rewarding work, teachers need time to collaborate and share experiences at their grade levels, across grade levels, and among schools. Those who think of Core Knowledge as “rote learning of isolated facts” are simply misinformed or have too little faith in teachers. I have enjoyed working with many teachers as they brainstorm about grade-level or schoolwide interdisciplinary themes. Through a variety of strategies—for example, webbing or guided questions—teachers can organize content from the Core Knowledge Sequence into thematic units of their choosing; they can also select strategies and resources conducive to in-depth learning. Assessment of progress can be accomplished through student writing, bulletin boards, projects, performances, portfolios, and much more.
To write curriculum based on the Core Knowledge Sequence, teachers sometimes must prepare to teach something they might know little about: for example, medieval African empires or Homer's Iliad. In such cases, teachers become models of the lifelong learning that schooling should inspire.
All of this may seem familiar: the difference is, with specific content guidelines, teachers can collaborate more effectively and feel confident that they are helping students build upon prior knowledge from year to year. The Core Knowledge curriculum gives students from different regions and economic backgrounds a common language with which to produce shared knowledge (Lutz et al. 1992, Kierstead and Mentor 1988, Patrick 1991). One has only to observe the excitement and involvement in Core Knowledge schools to see that teachers can devise active, interdisciplinary ways to help all students, regardless of background, become culturally literate.
