Common Knowledge^™
The Newsletter of the Core Knowledge Foundation

Core Knowledge Home > About > Common Knowledge > Vol. 20 No.1

Volume 20, Number 1, Jan. 2007

Feature Articles:

Introducing the new President by Diana Brewster
It's Being Done: Capitol View Elementary from The Achievement Alliance
Ph Is for Phonics: The Great Decoding Debate by Dr. Matthew Davis
Core Knowledge Hits the Alps by TASIS staff
The Third Way: Direct Instruction in France by Bernard and Françoise Appy
Featured Core Knowledge Schools

Introducing the New President of Core Knowledge

Linda Bevilacqua, the new president of the Core Knowledge Foundation, has been with the Foundation for ten years as both Director of the Preschool Program and Vice President. She brings to her position her incisive intellect, her wealth of experience in education, her ability to connect compassionately with other people, her willingness to listen carefully and come up with practical strategies for problem solving, and, not least, her sense of humor.

It's Being Done: Capitol View Elementary

Almost all of Capitol View’s 250 or so students are African American and most are poor, with more than 70 percent meeting the requirements for the federal free and reduced-price meal program. . . These facts alone would be enough to explain academic failure in the eyes of many.
And yet Capitol View has been one of the top-performing schools in the state for years.

Ph Is for Phonics: The Great Decoding Debate

In this article, Dr. Davis covers the age-old debate between phonics and whole-word advocates and delves into the complexities involved in developing a systematic, effective program for teaching decoding. He also reviews some of the research at the heart of the new basal reading program currently under development at the Foundation.

Core Knowledge Hits the Alps

Along the shores of beautiful Lake Lugano, Switzerland, locals and expatriates alike have embraced a solid, sequenced curriculum thanks to The American School in Switzerland (TASIS). Teachers there face challenges — and reap rewards — similar to their counterparts in the United States. They have also learned valuable lessons about teaching Core Knowledge in to ESL students and in classrooms with highly diverse student populations.

The Third Way: Direct Instruction in France

Primary education in France is influenced by two movements defined by very different conceptions of instruction — the traditional approach and the constructivist or progressive approach. . . . Our Third Way is a route to the future that doesn’t refuse new technologies or sciences . . . Our approach focuses on efficiency and pragmatism — words long forgotten in our educational system.

Featured Core Knowledge Schools

West Manor Elementary in Atlanta, Georgia, Arlington International Leadership School in Jackson, Tennessee, and East Texas Christian Academy in Tyler, Texas, are three outstanding Core Knowledge Visitation and Official Schools being recognized at this year’s Core Knowledge National Conference in Washington, D.C.



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Feature Articles:

Common Knowledge^™
The Newsletter of the Core Knowledge Foundation