PRovEnzo | HiRsCH’s dEsiRE FoR A nATionAl CuRRiCulum 39Hirsch’s writings on cultural literacy have inspired and provoked many
responses to the conversation he initiated more than twenty years ago.
Eugene F. Provenzo’s book Critical Literacy: What Every American Needs to
Know, published in 2005, is a fairly recent one. Provenzo examines the source
of Hirsch’s ideas, his critiques of scholars like John Dewey, the ex tent to
which Hirsch’s argument is based on sound research, and the implications of
Hirsch’s notion of cultural literacy for teaching and learning. Despite the pas-
sage of time, Hirsch’s book remains relevant in discussions about the purpose
of education, demonstrating how certain works become touchstones and the
ways academic and cultural conversations can be sustained over time.A Practice sequence: Analyzing a Text RhetoricallyTo practice the strategies of rhetorical analysis, read “Hirsch’s Desire
for a National Curriculum,” an excerpt from Eugene F. Provenzo’s
book, using these questions as a guide:- What motivates Provenzo as a writer?
- What does he want readers to think about?
- What is Provenzo’s main point?
- Given the language Provenzo uses, who do you think his main
audience is?
Hirsch’s Desire for a National Curriculum
Eugene F. Provenzo Jr. is a professor in the Department of Teaching and
Learning in the School of Education at the University of Miami in Coral
Gables, Florida. His career as a researcher has been interdisciplinary in
nature. Throughout his work, his primary focus has been on education as
a social and cultural phenomenon. One of his prime concerns has been the
role of the teacher in American society. He is also interested in the impact
of computers on contemporary children, education, and culture. He is
author or co-author of numerous books, including Teaching, Learning, and
Schooling: A Twenty-first Century Perspective (2001); Internet and Online
Research for Teachers (Third Edition, 2004); and Observing in Schools: A
Guide for Students in Teacher Education (2005).EugENE F. PRovENzo JR.T
o a large extent, Hirsch, in his efforts as an educational reformer,
wants to establish a national curriculum.
Our elementary schools are not only dominated by the content-neutral ideas of
Rousseau and Dewey, they are also governed by approximately sixteen thousand■ ■ ■102_GRE_5344_Ch2_029_054.indd 39 11/19/14 4:03 PM