Hirsch Argument Atlas
2010

The Making of Americans

847 claims
251 evidence
134 counter-args
141 arg chains
8 chapters
Chapters
Chapter 1
The American common school was founded on the belief that a shared curriculum of facts, myths, and values was essential for creating a unified citizenry capable of sustaining a republic. While mode...
139 claims 36 conclusions 46 evidence All claims →
Chapter 2
Chapter 2 argues that the decline of American education is the result of an 'anti-curriculum movement' that took hold between 1930 and 1950. This movement, while originating from a valid empathy fo...
129 claims 30 conclusions 35 evidence All claims →
Chapter 3
Chapter 3 argues that American schools have a fundamental duty to form competent citizens by instilling a shared 'political religion' of democracy and common knowledge. This civic core is necessary...
121 claims 32 conclusions 37 evidence All claims →
Chapter 4
Literacy in the public sphere requires more than decoding; it necessitates a foundation of common knowledge and standard language conventions that have been neglected due to 'naturalistic' educatio...
116 claims 24 conclusions 37 evidence All claims →
Chapter 5
Chapter 5 argues that the United States suffers from two distinct educational failures: a 'competence gap' relative to other nations and an 'equality gap' between internal demographic groups. Hirsc...
106 claims 28 conclusions 33 evidence All claims →
Chapter 6
Reading tests are highly reliable predictors of economic and civic success because they measure the ability to communicate with strangers in the public sphere. However, the mistaken belief that rea...
152 claims 37 conclusions 43 evidence All claims →
Appendix
Appendix 1 outlines a specific, content-rich curriculum for history and geography in Kindergarten and First Grade, moving beyond the child's immediate surroundings to introduce global geography, an...
55 claims 12 conclusions 15 evidence All claims →
Introduction
The author argues that American K-8 education requires a fundamental rethinking to restore the founding ideals of equity and civic unity. He contends that the current 'how-to' or skills-based model...
29 claims 7 conclusions 5 evidence All claims →
Cross-Book Arguments (111)

Arguments from this book that also appear in other books:

77879606101620222324 Broadened
The disparity in reading test scores between children with equal skills but different knowledge levels is a result of di
77879606101620222324 Refined
A school curriculum that systematically imparts shared knowledge is the most effective way to narrow the reading test-sc
77879606101620222324 Broadened
States have a duty to define shared background knowledge, and the first state to do so will have the best schools in the
77879606101620222324 Repeated
To enable all children to communicate, schools must explicitly teach the unspoken knowledge that is taken for granted in
77879606101620222324 Refined
Elementary schools that use a carefully sequenced curriculum instead of child-centered methods can erase the achievement
77879606101620222324 Repeated
What young children lack in reading comprehension is not strategy, but knowledge of formal language conventions and know
77879606101620222324 Narrowed
The primary goal of student centers in child-centered classrooms is often keeping students 'on task' to allow teachers t
77879606101620222324 Evolved
The massive decline in American verbal test scores between 1960 and 1980 was caused by curriculum reforms rooted in prog
77879606101620222324 Repeated
The reading achievement gap between white and minority students is caused by a difference in background knowledge, not a
77879606101620222324 Refined
The decline in American school content was driven by an emphasis on individualistic, child-centered education that began

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