Essential Knowledge : The Debate over What American Students Should Know

by Marzano, Robert J.; Kendall, John S.; Gaddy, Barbara B.

• ISBN13: 9781893476004
• ISBN10: 1893476006
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-02-01
• Publisher: McRel

Table of Contents

Tables, Figures, and Exhibits	i
Foreword	vii
Ron Brandt
Preface	ix
The Authors	xiii
Crisis in American Education?	1	(34)
The Reformers	1	(4)
The Logic of the Reformers	5	(7)
A Different Perspective	12	(13)
Students' General Knowledge	14	(6)
SAT Scores	20	(5)
Our Position and Recommendations	25	(8)
The Importance of Identifying Essential Knowledge	26	(1)
The Need for a Well-articulated Curriculum in Public Education	27	(2)
The Need for an Emphasis on Academic Subjects	29	(2)
The Need for an Emphasis on Education Outputs	31	(2)
Conclusion	33	(2)
The E. D. Hirsch Solution	35	(24)
Hirsch's Body of Work	35	(21)
Cultural Literacy	36	(6)
The Dictionary	42	(8)
The Core Knowledge Sequence	50	(1)
The Core Knowledge Series	51	(5)
A Fundamental Distinction	56	(1)
Conclusion	57	(2)
The Standards Movement	59	(20)
Emergence of the Standards Documents	64	(7)
Problems with the National Documents	71	(2)
Differing Approaches to Standards	71	(1)
Multiple Documents in a Content Area	72	(1)
Too Much Content	73	(3)
The TIMMS Findings	74	(2)
State-Level Efforts	76	(2)
Conclusion	78	(1)
Toward a More Defensible Solution	79	(20)
The McREL Standards Database: A Research Perspective	79	(9)
Life Skills: What Hirsch Left Out	88	(10)
Thinking and Reasoning	88	(7)
Work Skills	95	(3)
Conclusion	98	(1)
The Problem of Time	99	(16)
Estimating How Much Time Is Required	99	(5)
Addressing the Problem	104	(9)
Increase the Amount of Instructional Time	104	(2)
Conducting a Time Audit	106	(5)
Decrease the Number of Standards	111	(2)
Conclusion	113	(2)
The McREL Standards Survey	115	(26)
Survey Design and Overview	115	(2)
Implications of the Results	117	(10)
The Problems of Basing a Curriculum Solely on Public Opinion	127	(2)
Differences Between Groups of Respondents	129	(10)
Conclusion	139	(2)
The Critical Role of Vocabulary: The Extensive Curriculum	141	(16)
Hirsch's Extensive and Intensive Curriculums	141	(1)
The Nature of Vocabulary	142	(4)
Is Teaching Vocabulary a Practical Solution?	146	(2)
Which Words Should Be Taught?	148	(4)
Implementing an Extensive Program of Vocabulary Instruction	152	(3)
Conclusion	155	(2)
Making It All Matter	157	(6)
Establishing Priorities	157	(5)
Seeking Community Input	157	(1)
Matching State Goals	158	(1)
Aligning Instruction and Assessments	159	(1)
Increasing Time for Instruction	159	(2)
Redesigning the Curriculum	161	(1)
Conclusion	162	(1)
Appendix A: Documents to Consult for a Comprehensive Review of Subject Areas	163	(8)
Appendix B: Standards and Benchmarks	171	(100)
Appendix C: Time Audit Process	271	(18)
Appendix D: McREL Standards Survey Questionnaires	289	(56)
Appendix E: Content Vocabulary	345	(76)
References	421	(14)
Index	435