The two Core Knowledge schools are combination schools that draw students from low-income neighborhoods and affluent families. Faculty and parents at both Minneha and Bryant elementary schools voted overwhelmingly to try the curriculum, which sets out distinct facts and literature that students in each grade should learn. A common criticism of modern schools is the redundancy evident as teachers in each grade try to develop their own curriculum to meet sometimes vague standards. At Minneha, for example, classes in three grades were reading Charlotte's Web. Core Knowledge has all but eliminated redundancies, said Mary Schumacher, Minneha principal.
Kindergartners learn about the seven continents, and first-graders study Egypt.
Fifth-graders compare and contrast the Mayas, Incas and Aztecs. Duckett supports the curriculum because she thinks it provides a solid, basic education. And she doesn't mind that it teaches about Christianity, along with other world religions, as part of its history and literature curriculum. Although she is happy with the Core Knowledge schools, Duckett said she still would not enroll her children in any of the Wichita district's middle or high schools.