Common Knowledge^™
The Newsletter of the Core Knowledge Foundation

Hawaii Legislature Supports Content-Based Curriculum

Thanks to the hard work of Core Knowledge supporter David Rolf and others, the Hawaii legislature has passed a bill to provide funding for schools that adopt Core Knowledge or other content-rich curriculums. The bill’s passage was motivated in part by the success of two Hawaiian Core Knowledge schools, Solomon Elementary and Kauluwela Elementary, in addressing the goals of the No Child Left Behind legislation.

In a March 31 editorial in the Honolulu Star Bulletin the improvement of the two schools was praised in the context of an argument against sacrificing some subjects, notably science and civics, in order to prepare for mandatory examinations in reading and math. The editorial asserted that a well-rounded curriculum is the only effective way to prepare children for tests, and it praised Solomon Elementary and Kauluwela Elementary as shining examples of such a curriculum in action.

Core Knowledge was further touted in Linda Seebach’s review of E. D. Hirsch’s new book, The Knowledge Deficit, which ran in the Rocky Mountain News and was reprinted in the Star Bulletin along with the editorial. Seebach praised The Knowledge Deficit for

. . . laying out the growing evidence that a curriculum rich in content — like the Core Knowledge curriculum he supports—is more effective in closing the achievement gap than vacuous process standards.

Hirsch's point — not a new one, of course, but with each passing year, it becomes clearer that he is right — is that understanding what you read depends on your being able to fill in from your own knowledge all the things the writer assumes readers will know and therefore doesn’t mention.

David Rolf, president of the Automobile Dealers Association of Hawaii and a citizen activist, faxed the review to members of the house finance committee and shortly thereafter was able to cheer the victory gained that day by proponents of school reform. We look forward to hearing more good news from Hawaii and thank all involved for the useful reminder that grass roots political activism does sometimes earn a big pay off — this time a payoff for Hawaii schoolchildren.

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