The Educated
Child defines a good education and offers parents
a plan of action for ensuring that their children achieve
it. Combining the goals that William Bennett enumerated
as Secretary of Education, key excerpts from E. D. Hirsch's
Core Knowledge Sequence, and the latest research, it
sets forth clear curricula and specific objectives for
children from kindergarten through the eighth grade,
including:
What children should be studying
and the kind of work they should be doing Important
facts to learn and essential reading lists When children
should master specific math skills, spelling and grammar
basics, and scientific facts Test preparation, homework,
and other areas that require parental involvement
The Educated Child also examines timely issues
such as school choice, sex education, character education,
and the phonics/whole language debate. Perhaps most
important, it encourages parents to become advocates
for their children by learning what to look for in a
good school, how to talk to educators, and how, when
necessary, to push for needed changes. For parents concerned
about their children's current education and future
lives, it is the ultimate handbook.
