CORE KNOWLEDGE

Evidence of positive effects on student achievement
Year introduced in schools		1990
Number of schools		750
Support developer provides schools
First-year costs      with new staff      with current staff reassigned		$56,000 No Change
= Strong	= Promising		= Marginal
= Mixed, Weak		? = No Research

OVERVIEW

Core Knowledge is based on the premise that people need a common base of knowledge to function well in a democratic society, and that schools are responsible for providing this base to every student. According to the developers, having a common base of knowledge allows individuals to participate fully in society (e.g., by understanding news reports, or comprehending issues in an election). The developers also believe that it is particularly important for children from disadvantaged backgrounds to gain this core knowledge in school, because their exposure to learning opportunities outside of the classroom may be limited. Core Knowledge is grounded in research on learning which shows that individuals gain knowledge by "attaching" new information to what they already know. Children who lack certain knowledge when they enter school are at risk of falling further behind their classmates as they progress through school. One goal of Core Knowledge, therefore, is to narrow the gap between children from different backgrounds by providing all students with the same "mental velcro" upon which to attach new knowledge.

According to the developers, providing a core of grade-level content in every school has the added benefit of ensuring that children who transfer in and out of Core Knowledge schools will be taught the same material in their new school. Without this core content, children who are frequently transferred face gaps in their knowledge that may set them behind their new classmates permanently. Typically, children from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to transfer frequently, which makes Core Knowledge all the more important for this population of students.

The centerpiece of the approach is the Core Knowledge Sequence, a 200-page outline of the specific content that should be taught in each subject, each year, from kindergarten through eighth grade. The Sequence covers language arts (or English in grades six through eight), world history and geography, American history and geography, visual arts, music, science, and mathematics. Although the Sequence details what content should be taught, it does not specify how content should be taught. Instructional strategies are left up to individual teachers.

Core Knowledge is supported by the Core Knowledge Foundation, an independent, nonprofit organization established in 1986. The Foundation's primary program, the Core Knowledge Sequence, was first used in schools in 1990. Core Knowledge is now used in over 750 schools in 43 states and the District of Columbia.

EVIDENCE OF POSITIVE EFFECTS ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Strength of the Research Base. Of the seven studies on Core Knowledge available, all conducted by independent researchers, three focused both on implementation and student achievement outcomes, one examined student achievement only, and three examined implementation only. Three of the four studies examining student outcomes were considered sufficiently rigorous to report here. The implementation research includes two case studies describing schools that use Core Knowledge.

Results from a national evaluation of this approach are expected in 1999. However, all three of the rigorous studies that are currently available report student outcomes for Maryland schools only.

Effects on Students. Overall, there is promising evidence of positive student achievement effects in elementary schools. After one year of implementation, Core Knowledge students tended to have greater gains than students in matched comparison schools in reading comprehension and math concepts on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills. In reading, students in four of five Core Knowledge schools showed greater gains than those in comparison schools. In the remaining school, implementation of Core Knowledge was poor, and students showed a decrease in performance compared to a control school. For mathematics, in one case, students at a Core Knowledge school showed greater gains than control students; in three cases, gains were similar. At the poor implementation site, math scores declined significantly in comparison to a control school.

Using the same sample, comparisons between control and Core Knowledge schools on the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) assessment were also examined. Findings were consistent for the first- and third-year evaluations. Students in five Maryland Core Knowledge schools had significantly higher gains in all subjects except science for fifth graders compared to control schools. Science, which was not emphasized by teachers in Core Knowledge schools, was the only tested subject for which Core Knowledge schools did not perform as well as the comparison schools.

A third study showed a positive trend for Core Knowledge students on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. However, the difference between Core Knowledge students and comparison students was only significant on one subtest, language, in one year. Core Knowledge students did not perform as well on a writing exercise, compared to students in similar schools.

CENTRAL COMPONENTS

Organizational Change, Staffing, and Administrative Support. There are no specific requirements for increased staff. However, because the approach emphasizes music and art, schools that do not have music or art teachers may wish to hire them.

The developers recommend that teachers have common planning time to implement Core Knowledge. Because the material that is taught in each grade builds directly upon what was taught the prior year, teachers need to work together across grade levels to ensure that what they are teaching flows from one year to the next. Additionally, teachers within the same grade need to ensure that they are consistent in what they teach so that all students are given the same foundation.

Curriculum and Instruction. The Core Knowledge Sequence provides a curriculum framework that specifies the content schools are required to cover in each grade. Core Knowledge does not, however, specify which instructional strategies or materials should be used. Sample lesson plans, developed by Core Knowledge teachers around the curriculum, are available through the Core Knowledge Web site.

As described previously, the Core Knowledge Sequence covers language arts (or English in grades six through eight), world history and geography, American history and geography, visual arts, music, science, and mathematics; it does not cover physical education, health, or foreign languages. Each subject is taught from kindergarten through eighth grade so that students have a base of information on which to build. (A pre-K curriculum also is available.) The Sequence is very specific: the kindergarten poetry section, for example, lists 37 "Mother Goose and other traditional poems" (e.g., London Bridge Is Falling Down) and 11 "other poems" (e.g., A.A. Milne, The More It Snows) that are to be covered; the fiction section specifies 18 stories, four Aesop's fables, two American legends and "tall" tales, and two literary terms. The Sequence is not an exhaustive list, however, and the developers encourage teachers to supplement listed readings with additional content.

The Core Knowledge Sequence is designed to take 50 percent of total instructional time, with schools using the remaining time to cover topics required by state and local standards, such as state and local history and geography. According to the developers, however, in practice, most schools find that the initial years of implementation require spending more time on the Core Knowledge Sequence. Over time however, schools work to align the Core Knowledge Sequence with state and local standards, leaving more time for supplemental work.

Supplies and Materials. Core Knowledge does not provide or specify the instructional materials that should be used. Instead, the approach is designed so that schools can build on existing supplies and materials. According to the developers, however, schools typically do not have enough existing materials to teach the Core Knowledge content properly, and have to purchase additional materials for their classrooms and libraries. Most often, schools have to purchase books or maps.

Core Knowledge produces optional materials schools can purchase. For example, compact discs are available for pre-K through eighth grade from the Core Music Collection (the kindergarten collection includes Classics for Kids, Peter and the Wolf, and The Best of Grieg), as are Core Classics books (such as Robinson Crusoe or Gulliver's Travels).

The Core Knowledge Sequence, described above, is an essential supply for all teachers. In addition to the Sequence, the Core Knowledge Foundation produces a series of books for parents and teachers called What Your ... Grader Needs to Know covering each grade level. These books provide an introduction to the knowledge outlined in the Sequence. The series also suggests related reading and resources for teachers to use in their classrooms.

Scheduling and Grouping. Core Knowledge recommends that students be taught in whole groups; however, many schools also assign individual and group projects to students. There are no guidelines for class size; developers assume that schools will maintain their current class sizes (i.e., between 18 and 24 students). There are no specific requirements for scheduling classes or school days.

Monitoring Student Progress. Currently, there are no guidelines for monitoring student progress or performance. According to the developers, Core Knowledge is developing tests to be administered by teachers to assess the full Core Knowledge Sequence. These assessments should be available in 1999.

Family and Community Involvement. Although there are no explicit requirements for involving family and community, one study found that strong family and community support facilitated successful implementation in a number of schools. Some teachers send outlines of the material that they are going to cover each month to parents, so they will feel more informed about their child's education. Some schools involve parents by requesting their assistance in locating resources to use in the classroom. (Involving parents in this way also reduces the time that teachers have to spend finding information and resources.)

SUPPORT THE DEVELOPER PROVIDES SCHOOLS

Professional Development and Technical Assistance. The emphasis of Core Knowledge professional development is to enhance teachers' knowledge of the subjects they teach. Therefore, Core Knowledge encourages teachers to enroll in college courses in their field. Core Knowledge also encourages schools to take advantage of resources in the community, such as having a local physician give a lecture to teachers on the circulatory and lymphatic systems.

The Core Knowledge Foundation offers workshops, conducted by trained teachers or administrators from Core Knowledge schools. In larger districts, there may be an approach facilitator who is encouraged to attend these workshops. The developers offer a half-day overview workshop to introduce the approach. This may be followed by Getting Started, a one-and-a-half day workshop to familiarize teachers with the topics taught at all grade levels. Topics in this workshop include comparing what is currently taught to what is taught in the Core Knowledge Sequence, developing a schoolwide plan for implementation, learning how to align Core Knowledge content with district and state requirements, developing a monthly planning guide, finding time to plan, locating resources, and involving parents and community members.

A three-day Developing Core Knowledge Units workshop for teachers covers the process of writing Core Knowledge units, focusing on: integrating concepts, content, and skills; developing background knowledge; selecting resources; developing effective instructional procedures and activities to meet objectives; and identifying assessment methods.

The developers visit the schools to provide technical assistance. The number of visits, specified in a contract with the school, is typically three to five per year.

Other resources include an annual national conference and regional technical assistance centers. An Internet discussion group called Core-Net also provides a forum for Core Knowledge teachers and parents to communicate with each other. Participants can share lesson plans and units, ask or answer questions, or discuss how Core Knowledge is working in their schools. Finally, the Core Knowledge Web site provides sample lesson plans, research findings, and articles from the Core Knowledge newsletter, Common Knowledge.

Implementation Requirements and Schools' Experiences. Schools interested in adopting the Core Knowledge approach should contact the Core Knowledge Foundation to obtain informational materials. The method by which schools arrive at the decision to adopt Core Knowledge varies from school to school, but the developer recommends that the decision be a joint effort between administrators and instructional staff. After deciding to become a Core Knowledge school, all instructional staff may attend an optional Core Knowledge Overview workshop, generally held at the school, which describes the background, results, and benefits of Core Knowledge, and what a school must do to become involved. The developer requires schools to submit a plan for implementing the program, including a schedule of implementation goals.

A review of four studies addressing implementation suggests that, although some teachers experienced initial reservations about using the approach (some were afraid that they did not know the new content well enough to teach it), most seemed energized by the opportunity to enhance their own knowledge and thereby increase the knowledge of their students. Specifically, teachers noted increased cooperation among colleagues. For example, as a result of teaching the same content, teachers may be able to share resources in ways not previously established. According to the developers, full implementation has been shown to be possible in three years.

Findings from these studies also suggest that teachers new to a Core Knowledge school may have difficulty, both because staff development time and funding typically decrease over time, and because departing teachers do not always leave their lesson plans. Teachers spend approximately four hours per week developing their lessons; this time commitment, however, decreases after several years. One common concern voiced by teachers is the difficulty of finding age-appropriate materials for their students.

In terms of covering the Core Knowledge content, one study found that, although instructional style varied from class to class, teachers were covering the same content. Studies show that teachers in first and second grade cover a higher percentage of the core content. One reason for this may be that, in higher grades, the district requirements are stricter, leaving less time for the Core content. In one study, teachers in five Core Knowledge schools reported that they were spending, on average, 53 percent of total instructional time covering the Core content, close to the 50 percent that the developers recommend. However, one study found that, in the first year, it was difficult to teach all of the Core Knowledge content because of conflicts with existing district requirements.

COSTS

The first-year cost of adopting Core Knowledge is $56,000. This cost covers professional development, including staff release time; materials; and a membership fee.

The cost of implementing Core Knowledge varies greatly from school to school. There are a few nominal costs that each school must pay, but the more significant expenses depend on the amount of additional resources and materials that must be purchased to supplement the materials currently available at the school.

Each school pays a small fee to become a member of the Core Knowledge Network. A one-year membership costs $15; a two-year membership costs $25. In addition, every teacher in the school must have a personal copy of the Core Knowledge Sequence, which costs $25 per copy. Many schools also purchase the series What Your…Grader Needs to Know. These books, however, are not required (and it is not necessary for teachers to have personal copies).

Schools also may pay for optional workshops. The first, an overview of Core Knowledge, costs $500, regardless of the number of participants. The other workshops vary in price, depending upon how many teachers attend: for up to 25 teachers, the price is $750 per day; for 25 to 50 teachers, the price is $1,000 per day; and for more than 50, the price is $1,250 per day. As described above, the first workshop is one and a half days and the second workshop is three days long. In addition to the price of the workshops, when schools sign up for the overview workshop, they pay a one-time fee of $50 per person, which covers the materials used in all the workshops. Schools must cover travel, lodging, and meals for the workshop presenters as well as release time for teachers. Schools contract with the developers for technical assistance visits; on average, schools spend $5,000 for these visits.

The primary cost of implementing Core Knowledge is for additional instructional materials, such as books, maps, and videotapes. The developers estimate that many schools will have to pay over $10,000 to purchase sufficient materials to teach the Core Knowledge Sequence. This is not a one-time expense; schools will have to continue to budget for additional materials or to replace materials that have worn out.

One implementation study of five sites found that most of the schools obtained foundation start-up grants that allowed them to purchase materials and to send teachers to conferences and to visit other Core Knowledge schools. This study also found that teachers typically were not given paid time to prepare their lessons before implementing Core Knowledge; however, many schools did give teachers time during the school year (one hour per week, for example) to work in teams.

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