Member Since 2012


Author Bio:
E.D. Hirsch is the founder and chairman of the Core Knowledge Foundation and professor emeritus of education and humanities at the University of Virginia. Motivated by research on written composition at a pair of colleges in Virginia, Dr. Hirsch developed his groundbreaking concept of cultural literacy — the idea that reading comprehension requires not just formal decoding skills, but also wide-ranging background knowledge. He founded the Core Knowledge Foundation in 1986. A highly regarded English professor and literary critic early in his career, he is the author of several acclaimed books on education issues, including Cultural Literacy (Vintage, 1988), The Schools We Need and Why We Don’t Have Them (Anchor 1999), The Knowledge Deficit (Houghton Mifflin Harourt 2006), and The Making of Americans (Yale University Press 2010). He holds degrees from Cornell and Yale universities.

Published Articles & Media

Primer on Success

A Review of Paul Tough's How Children Succeed

Peerless, Indeed

Educator’s diagnosis on the mark, 65 years later

Romancing the Child

Curing American education of its enduring belief that learning is natural

Are We Still at Risk

Students do no more homework today than they did 20 years ago, despite the recommendations of A Nation at Risk.

Not So Grand a Strategy

A Nation at Risk emphasized the importance of learning so-called “higher-order skills” in the early grades. But even chess grand masters need to learn the basics first.

Learn More About Our Authors

Member Since 2009
Member Since 2009
Member Since 2009
Member Since 2011
Member Since 2014
Member Since 2016
Learn More

Newsletter

Notify Me When Education Next Posts a Big Story