In E.D. Hirsch’s book The Making of Americans, Hirsch’s bold views of the public education curriculum, or lack thereof, is explicitly stated throughout. However, in chapter one, Hirsch makes a specific claim that I perceive to be much more alarming than the rest. Hirsch states that “the consequences of the anti-curriculum movement are apparent in the schoolbooks children are now compelled to use.” He goes on to state that these books lack “any guiding principle of shared knowledge.” This claim inspired me to do some research on textbooks used in public education that follow a so-called “anti-curriculum” by not participating in the adoption of the set of common core standards.
My first example comes from an eighth grade English Language Arts textbook that is specific to public schools in Texas. The largest chapter of the book is titled “Themes in American Stories.” Works a reader can find included here are written by historical figures that Hirsch deems culturally significant, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Stephen Crane, and Zora Neale Hurston, all of which receive space in the most recent edition of Hirsch’s text on what he thinks “culturally literate” Americans should know. It’s important for us to understand the significance of these public school textbook references. Hirsch bluntly states that the textbooks children are using in schools today are anti-curriculum and “lack any guiding principles of shared knowledge.” Yet, many of the very same figures seen in Hirsch’s core knowledge outline are also present in public education texts.
Another state that has yet to adopt the common core curriculum, like Texas, is Nebraska. The Lincoln Public School District published a list of all the approved texts. When looking at the English Language Arts books, especially those used by 11th and 12th grade publically educated students, the titles say it all. Visions Across the Americas, Everyday words from Classic Origins, and the list goes on. These textbooks are rooted in the idea of shared knowledge. Ties to classic origins and issues all across America are presented to these students. These textbooks, sharing a great deal of “common knowledge”, do not seem to be lacking any sort of Hirsch’s idea of a “guiding principle”.
On another note, each state has a standardized test that public education students are required to take and pass for promotion to future grades. These standardized tests are the focus of the majority of the student’s school year. “Teaching to the test” is a phrase that has recently gained popularity because of such standardized testing requirements. Teachers are given specific topics, a curriculum rather, that is necessary for a student to be adequately prepared for a state assessment. This simple fact, which can be researched in much more detail at www.time4learning.com, disproves Hirsch’s confident claim that today’s public schools have moved away from set curricula. In fact, each and every state has its own curriculum that is adhered to with extreme care.
Hirsch’s book, Making of Americans, offers quite a bit of thought-provoking material to readers interested in the issues of modern-day public education. However, one must take these claims rather lightly and complete the necessary outside research before blindly believing all of the presented issues to be true to American public schools. With some research, I think you’ll find that each state is following some sort of curriculum, and even somewhat uniformly, testing that shared knowledge.
UT English Lit Major 