Not by accident, a portrait of Don Quixote hangs in the coalition's offices. Hirsch's curriculum, for its part, demands a far greater grasp of subjects like ancient history than the typical elementary teacher possesses, and it often runs head-on into local curriculum edicts. Where the educators' efforts have been successful, however, the results have been impressive, suggesting that reform is not an either-or proposition, not a matter of selecting one philosophy over the other. To be convinced by Hirsch's argument for a core curriculum, one need look no further than schools like Roland Park, with its diverse student body. There are units on African-American scientists, African and Norse myths, Maya culture and more.
Diversity rules even in gym class, where students perform American Indian dances.
The new curriculum is far more demanding, but students rise to the challenge. Now I know differently. Even in remedial classes, there's a lot of enthusiasm. Test scores suggest as much. Other core-knowledge schools with large populations of disadvantaged students report similar gains.