E. D. Hirsch's Curriculum for Democracy
E. D. Hirsch's Curriculum for Democracy - Sol Stern
E. D. Hirsch Jr., an American educational thinker, conducted an experiment to assess why some students were better at reading and writing than others on entering university. He concluded that ability to understand and analyse advanced texts can be traced to the background knowledge in other subjects, such as history, arts and science. Contrary to current trends in education policy – where ‘progressive’ themes of teaching children how to learn prevail – Hirsch’s results show that schools should impart a core body of knowledge. This, in the view of Hirsch and the author, is the only ‘avenue of opportunity for disadvantaged children’ and is required to create virtuous, responsible citizens who can preserve and protect civic and democratic institutions.
© City Journal (New York City)