Common Core - Liberal Arts

By reading great works of literature, grappling with the triumphs and tragedies of history, writing essays and poems, mastering a foreign language, studying the visual and performing arts, and learning the discipline and joy of creating their own art, children are challenged to think and grow.

A FULL CORE CURRICULUM HELPS STUDENTS SUCCEED. Studies by ACT have shown that taking a full core curriculum, including four years of English and three years of social studies, greatly increases students’ readiness for college and work. Students who take the core curriculum in high school achieve higher ACT scores than those who do not, regardless of gender, family income, and ethnic background.

BROAD-BASED TEACHING HELPS SOCIETY AS A WHOLE. A liberal arts education can serve all Americans, including those who face the challenges of poverty, live in broken homes, or are adapting to a new nation and culture. All children who experience a broad spectrum of subjects are better equipped to become active, productive members of society.

FIND OUT MORE.

Beyond the Basics, by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, explains the importance of focusing on more than reading and math skills alone. An essay in the report, by Brown University Assistant Professor Martin West, shows that the liberal arts and sciences are being marginalized in today’s classrooms.

Choices, Changes, and Challenges: Curriculum and Instruction in the NCLB Era, a report by the Center on Education Policy (CEP), examines the effects of the No Child Left Behind Act on classrooms over a five-year period. This year, the CEP published a more extensive analysis.

The Nation’s Report Card, a study by the U.S. Department of Education, examines what kind of courses high school students are taking and how it affects their scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Common Core Executive Director Lynne Munson speaks with Susan Jacoby about her new book, The Age of American Unreason, on NPR. Listen to their discussion.

Diane Ravitch, Co-Chair of Common Core, discusses the lack of content within K-3 curricula in Tot Sociology, published by the National Council for History Education.

Core Knowledge Chairman E.D. Hirsch discusses the role content plays in learning to read, and the extent to which NCLB has driven content from the classroom with Public School Insights. Listen to the discussion.

Standards Based Accountability Under No Child Left Behind: The Experiences of Teachers and Administrators in Three States reviews the various accounts of teachers and administrators on the impact of standards based accountability in their schools in California, Georgia, and Pennsylvania.

Earlier this year, Common Core's report shows a nation STILL AT RISK. Nearly a quarter of students polled could not identify Adolf Hitler and half had no idea what the Renaissance was. To learn more read the report, press release or stories at ABC News, CBS News, The New York Times, and USA TODAY. Or take the test yourself.

FROM THE BENCH: "One unintended effect of the No Child Left Behind Act, …, is that it has effectively squeezed out civics education because there is no testing for that anymore and no funding for that. And at least half of the states no longer make the teaching of civics and government a requirement for high school graduation. This leaves a huge gap, and we can't forget that the primary purpose of public schools in America has always been to help produce citizens who have the knowledge and the skills and the values to sustain our republic as a nation, our democratic form of government," former justice Sandra Day O'Connor said. (cont'd)

CAMPAIGN FILE: Sen. John McCain recalls his English teacher: “There was one friendship that enriched my life at Episcopal High School beyond measure... Mr. Ravenel was head of the English Department... He loved English literature, and taught us to love it as well... He made us appreciate how profound were the emotions that animated the characters in Shakespeare's tragedies. MacBeth and Hamlet in his care were as compelling to boys as they were to the most learned scholar.” (cont'd)

CAMPAIGN FILE: Sen. Barack Obama said “One of the problems with No Child Left Behind is that it has become so reliant on a standardized test model that—first of all—subjects like history and social studies have gotten pushed aside. Arts and music time is no longer there. So the child is not having the well-rounded educational experience I benefited from and most in my generation benefited from.” (cont'd)