The Knowledge Gap

June 15, 2019
Education journalist Wexler (co-author: The Writing Revolution: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in All Subjects and Grades, 2017, etc.) mounts a compelling critique of American elementary schools, which, she argues, focus exclusively--and futilely--on boosting reading and math test scores, ignoring social studies, history, and science. As a reaction to the drilling and rote memorization that characterized 19th-century public schools, child-centered progressive education systems began to emphasize "hand-on activities" that would respond to students' interests and minimize teachers' roles in "the transmission of knowledge." By the mid-20th century, the "bitter, long-running conflict known as the Reading Wars" pitted those who supported teaching phonics against "whole language" theorists who believe that children will "naturally pick up the ability to read and write if allowed to choose books and topics that interest them." Neither approach accounts for content. Wexler distinguishes between decoding, which she asserts can best be taught by "systematic phonics," and comprehension, which she finds is now taught by systematic strategies--finding the main idea, summarizing--rather than by building a student's knowledge base. The author finds this lack of teacher-directed knowledge egregious: There is little evidence that practicing skills improves test scores. In contrast, "nine countries that consistently outrank the United States on international assessments all provide their students with a comprehensive, content-rich curricula." Comprehension is related not to skills but to a student's familiarity with a subject, Wexler argues, and yet some educators believe that teaching history to young children is "developmentally inappropriate." Besides citing various studies, the author offers vivid anecdotal evidence from classroom observation of a content-rich curriculum. Like E.D. Hirsch, whose 1987 book Cultural Literacy unleashed "a political firestorm," Wexler admits the considerable challenge of creating curricula that foster critical thinking abilities, build logically from grade to grade, reflect "a diversity of viewpoints" with texts that "appeal to different constituencies," and can be assessed by "general knowledge tests." An informative analysis of elementary education that highlights pervasive problems.

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July 1, 2019
In this illuminating study of the philosophies and practices of the American education system, education journalist Wexler (The Writing Revolution) argues that low student test scores result from a mistaken emphasis at the elementary level on context-free reading skills and strategies rather than content-rich curricula that give students “a body of knowledge about the world.” Test scores improve and income-related test gaps narrow, Wexler finds, when kids start learning history, science, and social studies in kindergarten. Wexler examines different pieces of the problem, including deficiencies in teacher training (teachers aren’t taught the cognitive psychology of how people learn) and the use of ineffective attempted compromises such as balanced literacy (an approach that attempts to “balance” teaching full-word recognition and phonics). Wexler spends a year inside Washington, D.C., classrooms, observing that skills-based, content-averse lessons actually impede learning, while students tackling content-rich Core Knowledge Language Arts curriculum’s lesson blocks on ancient Mesopotamia, Greek myths, and American history demonstrated enormous vocabularies, high engagement, and the ability to make insightful connections. Wexler presents content-oriented curricula as an obvious remedy that can be embraced by teachers, parents, and administrators who agree that “education is essential if democracy is going to function.” This thought-provoking take on curricular reform is well-supported; it’s less abrasive and perhaps more persuasive than earlier calls for this kind of reform.

Starred review from July 1, 2019

In this compelling work, journalist Wexler pinpoints the underlying issues that plague the American public education system, provides context to recent educational reforms, and offers possible solutions. Part 1 delves into current teaching methods that tend to stress decontextualized reading skills. The author argues that an emphasis on learning to read takes time away from reading to learn. Part 2 examines the historical underpinnings of the Common Core standards and the shift away from content-focused lessons. Part 3 suggests how curricula can be refocused on content rather than skills or standards. Throughout, Wexler discusses the centrality of prior knowledge and points out the lack of content or content scaffolding in many elementary and middle school curricula. She bases her conclusions on firsthand, yearlong observations of two types of teaching: skills-focused and knowledge-based. Knowledge and vocabulary building better prepare students for future academic achievement, regardless of socioeconomic background. Wexler shares candid assessments of innovative educators and the struggles faced by teachers dealing with standards and testing. VERDICT Essential reading for teachers, education administrators, and policymakers alike.--Elizabeth Connor, Daniel Lib., The Citadel, Military Coll. of South Carolina, Charleston

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July 1, 2019
Education journalist Wexler makes an argument for replacing the most common form of reading instruction currently used in the U.S., the skills-based approach, with a content-based methodology. Instead of teaching new readers abstract concepts about reading comprehension strategies and text features, such as identifying the main idea or distinguishing the purpose of a picture caption, educators should use information-based, nonfiction science and social-studies texts to engage students, encourage their ability to read, and increase their actual knowledge. Wexler weaves in examples of students using the two different systems and charts their comparative progress, showing how?spoiler?her content-based kids picked up reading skills and retained subject information from year to year. She explores how literacy instruction evolved to its current state, considers phonics-based, whole language, and writing-workshop programs, and opines that the pressure to increase standardized reading scores has driven districts to invest millions of dollars in skill-based strategies and interventions?that don't work. This is a sympathetic and realistic call for reform.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)