Core Knowledge Preschool: The Numbers are In!

Past issues of the Core Knowledge newsletter, Common Knowledge, have detailed the extraordinary progress of the youngsters in Baltimore and Arkansas schools that have adopted the Core Knowledge Preschool program. Several years into the project the numbers speak for themselves. The following figures, compiled by the Maryland Department of Education, prove that students excel at an above-average rate in Core Knowledge programs. Baltimore Country preschools showed a 43 percent gain in readiness compared to next highest gain — 19 percent for Prince George’s County. Even more pleasing, their scores in three academic domains — language/literacy, mathematical thinking, and scientific thinking — exceeded that of all surrounding counties, including more affluent areas like Montgomery County. The total readiness percentage exceeded the region’s average by 6 percent. The results, showing steady improvement from 24 percent to 66 percent, prove once again that, over time, exposure to the Core Knowledge content-rich curriculum enhances the performance of both teachers and students.

Percentage of Head Start Students with “FULL” readiness for Kindergarten

School Year 2005/2006

Percentage of Head Start Students with “Full Readiness”

Arranged by Academic Domains

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