Customer Reviews

The Knowledge Deficit

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E. D. Hirsch has written another outstanding, no-nonsense book about what's wrong with American education and how we can fix it. In "The Knowledge Deficit," Hirsch focuses mainly on reading comprehension. "Old people grow blunt; they haven't time for slow niceties. Let me be blunt about the implications of this book. If its recommendations are followed, reading scores will rise for all groups of children, and so will scores in math and science, because, as common sense would predict, reading is strongly correlated with the ability to learn in all subjects." So ends chapter 1. Yes, the old codger sounds presumptuous, but the arguments that follow are compelling and backed by decades of research from the field of cognitive psychology. Hirsch's thesis: Background knowledge plays an indispensable role in text comprehension, yet, rather than endowing students with broad, general knowledge, our schools erroneously favor the teaching of all-purpose comprehension strategies. Basically, we're emphasizing process over content, and the result is our kids can't understand what they read by the time they get to high school.

"The Knowledge Deficit" is an incredibly important book in that it fills a huge gap. Among the countless books on reading comprehension published every year, not one that I'm aware of (with the exceptions of Hirsch's previous books) has focused specifically on the importance of broad knowledge and vocabulary and their role in reading comprehension. Look around here at Amazon. You'll find plenty of books (e.g., "7 Keys to Comprehension") that treat comprehension as a general, transferable skill rather than something dependent upon a strong vocabulary coupled with domain-specific knowledge. Hirsch discounts the effectiveness of these comprehension strategies--but not convincingly enough for me. For example, he overlooks/ignores some impressive research by people like Michael Pressley, Irene Gaskins, and Cathy Collins Block that has shown that, when taught well, these comprehension strategies can go a long way in helping students comprehend. My own opinion is that we need to fuse the best of both worlds. Start with the superb, knowledge-rich curricula that is taught in the Core Knowledge schools, for instance, and supplement with a good comprehension strategy program.

Overall, "The Knowledge Deficit" is excellent. There is a lot in common here with his previous books, but Hirsch blazes plenty of new territory too, and is as thought-provoking and entertaining as ever. Recommended for teachers, administrators, parents, and anyone else concerned with how children learn to read.

I have taught in elementary classrooms for 18 years, and was a substitute for 3 or 4 years prior to that. Having read various books about the problems in our public schools, I can say that, in my opinion, E.D. Hirsch, Jr., has his fingers exactly on the pulse of what is wrong. I have never heard a convincing SCIENTIFIC refutation of his theories instead of refutations based on idealogy and political leanings (in other words, the way that "the powers that be" in education THINK it should be as opposed to the way it really IS!). I can say from experience that my students absolutely detest reading. It is hard work, and they have not been given the background knowledge they need which Hirsch espouses (or the work ethic) to comprehend what they are reading. Instead, I am forced to teach them "strategies" so thay supposedly can "decode" the meaning of the passage, regardless of whether the passage is about the Vietnam War or elephants in India. This will supposedly help my school score high on the state test and assure me a job next year. Now, I firmly believe that these strategies can help, but only if the background knowledge that the literate people within our society who HAVE a good education (and who often are in charge of hiring people in the real world) say our children must have in order to function effectively, is being taught at the same time. Guess what? It's not! (as Hirsch so clearly points out.) This is not an easy read, but any teacher, administrator, school board member, or concerned parent worried about their childrens' education who is worth their salt owes it to themselves to be aware of Hirsch's books, including this one. In my opinion, there's no one better equipped to solve the public education problem in our country, and to do it SCIENTIFICALLY instead of with all sorts of ridiculous POLITICALLY CORRECT solutions that are doomed to failure before they even get off the ground, than Mr. Hirsch.

This book was informative and life changing for me. I am the mother of a soon to be 4th grader and made the decision to switch to a Core Knowledge school this year. I see the lack of Core Knowledge education in our country through the work I do with college students. It is amazing what they "don't" know and these are your top of the line college students. It ceases to amaze me how complacent we have become in this country and in my home state when it comes to the education of our children.

A taut, clearly written 'expose' of current methods for teaching reading (as well as teaching to the test strategies). Hirsch is compelling as he discusses how children actually learn language, oral and written and how we need to change the methods currently used to teach them.

He does focus a great deal on his Core Knowledge foundation and its goals. However, as his arguments are so compelling, that is not a distraction.

Hirsch continues to offer American education the kind of solutions that will really work in fostering Cultural Literacy in our kids. Unfortunately, his hard-nosed logic and extensive empiricism combine to make this tough book (among his others) all but unattainable to those who really need to read and use it, because their agenda has more to do with their welfare than with the needs of the kids.
Because we have allowed uneducated educationists to design curricula and process, and to implement all this fuzzy stuff, we are now producing teachers who don't know anything and thus have nothing of value to teach. The solution, Hirsch's Core Knowledge curriculum, has been right here before us for more than a decade, but the establishment has neither the courage nor the intelligence to adopt it. Only the academic charter schools offer parents the choice of a really good public education for their children.

This is the type of information students training to be teachers should be getting. The Liberal Arts philosophy of education makes so much sense and is sorely needed in public schools today.

Forget about political correctness. What is the greater value of an education? Education is much more than just preparing someone to get a job. It is about becoming a well rounded person.

Today's emphasis on multiculturalism is reaction to years of indoctrination in a system that devalues the individual. The failure of public education is: compromising knowledge for the sake of political correctness. This is the "knowledge deficit."

The concept of core knowledge sets standards that are vital to a well balanced education. Commonality of knowledge bonds individuals from diverse backgrounds. Instead of having multiple cultures vying for attention, Core Knowledge enables individuals from different backgrounds to learn the universal language of knowledge. Having a common understanding brings people together; not "celebrating their differences." After experiencing the mutual benefit of "Core Knowledge" individuals can better appreciate other cultures and nurture their natural curiosity about the world around them. This is truly the foundation for mutual respect among people and lifelong learning.

I like his ideas and realliy think Hirsch is on to something with this and his other writings. As a teacher I see the education establishment unwilling to make reforms it needs to and Hirsch is at least offering ideas.

This book by Ed Hirsch clearly shows what is wrong with the current American educational system and defines what needs to change. This book should be read by school board members and educational administrators throughout the country.

Book arrived quickly and in perfect condition......have not read it entirely at the present so am not able to accurately rate that aspect.

I ordered two of the above-named book and received them within a short time protected against damage. I was very pleased because both were in very good condition and better than I expected. I appreciate the service and I will continue to use Amazon. I have recommended it to my friends. Thank you