What to look for in a multi-subject program

Substance and rigor. These are the most important components of good curricular programs. Strong programs teach facts, figures and knowledge, and develop hard student skills like reading, writing and the ability to calculate. For many decades American schools have strayed from these missions, and though there is progress getting back to what is most fundamental, there is still a long way to go.

What distinguishes the comprehensive curricula recommended here from their competition is that they have avoided the temptation to offer courses that are rigorous in name only. Instead, these programs challenge students and provide them with all the knowledge and abilities they need to excel.

CER's Multi-Subject "Best Bets"

The Core Knowledge Sequence

Description: Dr. E.D. Hirsch, Jr. believes that there is a body of knowledge with which people must be familiar in order to be "culturally literate." On the individual student level, Hirsch has found that learning is most effective when topics are tackled in-depth. These convictions underscore the Core Knowledge Sequence, a curriculum that approaches learning as a cohesive whole, not isolated subjects and grade levels. The Core Knowledge Sequence integrates all subjects, from reading, to history, to math, providing students with the depth they need to understand concepts about which they are reading, as well as the knowledge necessary to understand the culture in which they live. No grades or subjects in Core Knowledge are disconnected; when a fourth grader is reading Arthurian legends in language arts, he is also studying the Middle Ages in history, art, and other classes.

Reading note: While the Core Knowledge Sequence is an excellent tool for teaching reading comprehension, it does not provide explicit phonics instruction. However, pairing it with any of the phonics curricula mentioned in the reading section below will be very effective.

Publisher: Various, but all publications are available on the Core Knowledge Foundation's web site.

Grades: K-8

Web Site: www.coreknowledge.org. 

K12, Inc.

Description: K12 offers an excellent computer-based curriculum covering language arts/reading, math, science, history, art, and music. K12's web-based format allows students to work at their own pace, which is impossible at most brick and mortar schools. But it doesn't just teach on the computer; K12 employs supplemental materials in all subjects, including textbooks and work sheets; "manipulatives" like blocks for early math instruction; goggles, test tubes and lots of other equipment for science; and tambourines, slide whistles and CDs for music instruction. Most importantly, K12 applies scientifically proven teaching methods, like phonics in reading, and math programs that emphasize math's concrete underpinnings and develops students' ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide - without calculators.

Publisher: K12, Inc.

Grades: Currently K-7, eventually expanding through grade 12.

Web Site: www.k12.com/curriculum/subjects/language