E.D.Hirsch was a major advocate of Cultural Literacy, a backbone of knowledge that Hirsch determined every human being should know. He has said, "a core knowledge is required for cultural and universal literacy." (Hirsch 124) We believe that core knowledge is simply just a foundation of curriculum that students should be taught in school. Schools must foster a curriculum of the "right core knowledge" in order to achieve cultural literacy.
Mr Hirsch wrote a six volume set of books that prescribed cultural literacy. It provided a "specific sequence of core knowledge that young Americans should, at a minimum, learn" (Anonymous, 1) The books were strictly a listing of topics or words that the average adult American would understand. They were to provide a fundamental stepping stone to greater knowledge.
The question now is, does Hirsch provide an adequate list that will prescribe the "core knowledge" needed for success in schools? To date Hirsch's "core knowledge" programs have been implemented in over 350 schools around the nation. To no surprise to Hirsch, the scores from the 350 or so schools rose in the yearly placement tests in the following categories: Language, Sciences, and Social Studies. Clearly the answer to the question asked above is yes: Hirsch's system did have success.
Cultural literacy is much more then simply facts and habits. It is said, "Besides this topic determined knowledge, the reader needs to know less explicit, and less topic determined matters, such as culturally shared attitudes, values, conventions, and connotations that the writer assumes the reader to have." (Hirsch, 159) For this reason, Hirsch receives criticism. It is believed that the list he has prescribed is racist, sexist, and feminist. Hirsch on the other hand disagrees. He states, "that a pre 1865 list of Americans whom a culturally literate person might be expected to know of would not include many blacks." (Hirsch, 166) The list only prescribes the information that he feels is relevant to our knowledge. Thus, knowing twenty different women leaders isn't as relevant as learning the twenty most famous leaders of all time. He feels if there was only one black and one women leader on the list that is perfectly fine since it is just a dash of the overall information in the world. What he is saying is that women leaders for so long in our history, so that's why there aren't many on the list.
This sets the standards of the SAT test. This test is based on cultural literacy. The only way to study for the SAT as Hirsch suggests is, "through wide reading in many domains over many years." (Hirsch, 160) However, core knowledge is needed as much by the electrician as it is by the doctor. They both have their own idea of what core knowledge and cultural literacy are. they both have the core knowledge already but just need specialization in the field they choose to have a profession. An electrician would have a list that would be made up of words such as amp and voltage, whereas the doctor would have words on his list such medicines. Noone can say that these two individual workplaces have people in them that are not culturally literate. They just need the "right core knowledge" to be a success.
"No educational reform can be succeed if it fails to keep its students and teachers motivated and interested." (Hirsch, 164) This I feel is actually the Key to cultural literacy. Motivated students are willing and eager to learn. Core knowledge is another key element in the final equation of cultural literacy. The only problem with what Hirsch has determined is the key to the cultural literacy list is the fact that the times are changing and the list should be updated as times change. "Such words as software and CPU were not on the list as few as four years ago." (James, 16) Thus, Hirsch's list may not be the right list of knowledge in order to achieve cultural literacy but it is indeed the right key to the success of our schools.
For a quick reference guide to cultural literacy click here!!!!
To see cultural literacy research findings click here!!!!