This book is foundational. It is as relevant today as when it was written.
I also appreciate that the endorsements on the back include people with very different educational perspectives (William Bennett, R.C. Anderson). That means people across the educational aisles will have something to gain from reading this book.
While at the pop-education level, Hirsch and this book in particular are seen as part of the conservative movement, this is a lazy and false claim that that must come from making interpretations of the book without reading it.
**What is Cultural Literacy?**
•"Cultural Literacy is represented not by a prescriptive list of books but rather by a descriptive list of the information actually possessed by literate Americans. My aim in this book is to contribute to making that information the possession of all Americans. (p1?)"
•He is extremely clear that this list is not static. The list aims to cultivate what Hirsch terms "Cultural Literacy, namely, the network of information that all competent readers have (p2)."
•Cultural literacy isn’t about passing down a particular/dominant group’s culture. It is about a dialogue between groups and what should be included in “cultural literacy” changes as the groups naturally interact and change (p11).
•“To acknowledge the importance of minority and local cultures of all sorts, to insist on their protection and nurture, to give them…respect are traditional aims that must be stressed (p98)"
•Cultural literacy includes facts AND stories. Neither should be taken for granted.
•Throughout the book, Hirsch argues that one primary reason cultural literacy matters is because it enables mutual understanding. Cultural literacy is a requirement for effective communication.
**Why did Hirsch make a list of what all students should know?
•A common knowledge is assumed in all communications. We might as while try to identify it and pass this key knowledge down. (p134-135)
**Hirsch's View On Learning**
• “Once the relevant knowledge is acquired, the skill follows. General programs contrived to teach general skills are ineffective. (p60-61)"
• The facts kids learn (or do not learn) matter.
**My One Critique**
While Hirsch openly desires for America to be multilingual, he doubts that it is possible. The reasons for his doubts are worth wrestling with, but I think he makes the wrong conclusions. His basic worry is that promoting multilingualism will foster cultural division because Americans are not even culturally literate in one language, what will happen when we need to be culturally literate in multiple languages? This is a reasonable concern. But I think that he focuses too much on political games here rather than looking at educational concerns or countries that have been multilingual for generations and do not have the divides he is worried about.
You should read this book. It is brilliant. It holds up.
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2024
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- Amazon CustomerReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 8, 2016
Despite the fact that the book is written some 20 years ago I think every parent or teacher should have this book on their shelv
