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)

Feedback Welcome:

Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to our producer Nathaniel Grossman at [email protected].