Dr. Garvin-Kester Recognizes Achievement, Promotes Core Knowledge at Highest Levels in Utah State Government

by Robert D. Shepherd


Jim Huntsman, governor of Utah; Dr. Barbara Garvin-Kester, president of the Core Knowledge Foundation; and Julie Adamic, director of the John Hancock School.

Core Knowledge President Dr. Barbara Garvin-Kester dined on October 25th with Margaret Dayton, chair of the Utah House Education Committee; Steve Whitehouse, chief administrative officer of Timpanogos Academy; Julie Adamic, director of John Hancock School; and Kim Frank, a John Hancock School board member. The group discussed the newly released report on the success of the Core Knowledge curricular approach, Filling the Curriculum Void: Lessons from Core Knowledge Schools , and the outstanding achievement scores that both John Hancock and Timpanogos Academy are obtaining. The group also discussed ways to get Utah-area education schools interested in Core Knowledge.

The following morning, Dr. Garvin-Kester, accompanied by Utah Governor Jim Huntsman and Utah Deputy of Education Christine Kearl, toured the John Hancock School, spoke to the staff and students, and congratulated all on their success. Afterward, Dr. Garvin-Kester met privately with the governor and his education deputy to discuss how to involve Utah’s education schools with Core Knowledge. Steve Whitehouse is arranging a follow-up teleconference for next week with the state superintendent of schools and with Deputy Kearl.

On the morning of October 27, Dr. Garvin-Kester spoke to a group of charter school teachers and administrators who are clients of the U. S. Charter Development Organization. Dr. Garvin-Kester shared the new report on Core Knowledge with them, as well as news about our upcoming classroom materials and the forthcoming book by E. D. Hirsch, Jr., The Knowledge Deficit. Later that morning, Dr. Garvin-Kester toured Timpanogos Acadamy with Principal Errol Porter and had the opportunity to quiz children in various grades on their knowledge of Core Knowledge content. The children performed very well. That afternoon, Dr. Garvin-Kester spoke to 180 middle-schools students from Timpanogos, complimenting them on their command of essential knowledge and encouraging them to continue their studies at the Academy. Then Dr. Garvin-Kester congratulated Principal Porter and his faculty on attaining their Official School status. Attending that presentation was Utah State Representative Margaret Dayton. That evening, Dr. Garvin-Kester spoke with the parents of the students of Timpanogos Academy and again shared information about the Lessons from Core Knowledge Schools report. Dr. Garvin-Kester also met privately with State Senator Howard Stephenson, who expressed a strong desire to introduce legislation in Utah to give schools in Utah incentives to adopt a Core Knowledge-like curriculum.