From the Core Knowledge Foundation:
"The Core Knowledge movement is an educational reform based on the premise that a grade-by-grade core of common learning is necessary to ensure a sound and fair elementary education. The movement was started by Professor E. D. Hirsch, Jr., author of Cultural Literacy and The Schools We Need, and is based on a large body of research in cognitive psychology, as well as a careful examination of several of the world's fairest and most effective school systems.
Professor Hirsch has argued that, for the sake of academic excellence, greater fairness, and higher literacy, early schooling should provide a solid, specific, shared core curriculum in order to help children establish strong foundations of knowledge. After wide consultation, the content of this core curriculum has been outlined in two books: the Core Knowledge Preschool Sequence and the Core Knowledge Sequence, that state explicitly what students should learn at each grade level. Currently, hundreds of schools and thousands of dedicated educators are participating in this school reform movement throughout the United States."
GFA and Core Knowledge
GFA is implementing 100% of the Core Knowledge Sequence in all grades. It is GFA’s goal to become a Core Knowledge “School of Distinction”. This is accomplished by providing training to our teachers by certified Core Knowledge Consultants, completing site visits by representatives from the Core Knowledge Foundation, and submitting appropriate documentation to verify our implementation.