#867: How Core Knowledge schools boost students’ reading comprehension, with Robert Pondiscio

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Robert Pondiscio joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss a new study that shows that a curriculum rich in content knowledge can boost reading comprehension, especially for students from low-income backgrounds. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber looks at the impact of charter schools on private tutoring prevalence.

Recommended content:

• The study on Core Knowledge Charter Schools discussed in this episode: David Grissmer et al., “A kindergarten lottery evaluation of Core Knowledge Charter Schools: Should building general knowledge have a central role in educational and social science research and policy?” Annenberg Institute Ed Working Paper No. 23-755 (April 2023)
• “At long last, E.D. Hirsch, Jr. gets his due: New research shows big benefits from Core Knowledge” —Robert Pondiscio
• “Using a curriculum rich in arts, history, and science led to big reading improvements” —Education Week
• The study that Amber reviewed on the Research Minute: Edward J. Kim and Luke W. Miratrix, “The causal impact of charter schools on private tutoring prevalence,” Annenberg Institute Ed Working Paper No. 23-756 (April 2023)

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Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to our producer Nathaniel Grossman at ngrossman@fordhaminstitute.org.