February 2025 – Core Knowledge Foundation

Core Knowledge Foundation Names Beth Battle Anderson as President & CEO

The Core Knowledge Foundation (CKF), a national leader in knowledge-based education, is pleased to announce Beth Battle Anderson as its new President & CEO, effective July 7, 2025. A proven leader in K-12 education and nonprofit strategy, Beth brings deep expertise in curriculum, educational equity, and large-scale program expansion.

Beth joins CKF after a decade as Executive Director of Hill Learning Center, where she led the growth of research-based literacy interventions and teacher training, expanding their reach to thousands of educators and schools nationally and worldwide. Prior to Hill, she served in leadership roles at Teach For America, helping to secure over $300 million in funding and leading national education partnerships. Beth was also a co-founder of Duke University’s Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE), where she worked at the intersection of education, research, and social impact and continues to serve on the advisory board. Beth is a Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow as well as a board member for both Great Schools NC and the NC State Education Assistance Authority.

As a champion of knowledge-rich curriculum and research-backed instruction, Beth is committed to CKF’s mission to ensure all students—regardless of background—have access to the knowledge they need to succeed. CKF has been a pioneer in K-12 education for nearly four decades, offering:

A coherent, content-rich curriculum used by thousands of schools nationwide
Groundbreaking work in the science of reading and literacy instruction
Partnerships with state and district leaders, policymakers, and educators to expand access to high-quality curriculum

Beth will focus on strengthening CKF’s impact and partnerships at a time when knowledge-rich curricula are gaining momentum in states across the country.

For more information about CKF’s work or to connect with Beth, please contact info@coreknowledge.org

Impact of a Content-Rich Literacy Curriculum on Kindergarteners’ Vocabulary, Listening Comprehension, and Content Knowledge

In a recent study, researchers explored the effects of the content-rich literacy curriculum CKLA: Core Knowledge Language Arts on various aspects of kindergarten students’ development. The study focused on evaluating the impact of Core Knowledge Language Arts Knowledge Strand on vocabulary, listening comprehension, and content knowledge among young learners.

Research Design and Methodology

The study incorporated findings from two separate randomized controlled trials (RCTs), with the second trial designed as a replication of the first. A total of 47 schools in large urban districts in the United States were randomly selected to either implement the CKLA Knowledge Strand or serve as a waitlist control group. The CKLA Knowledge Strand places a strong emphasis on language comprehension through interactive read-alouds that aim to systematically enhance students’ content knowledge.

Implementation and Support

Teachers received two days of professional development workshops to familiarize themselves with the curriculum, in addition to ongoing support from facilitators during the implementation phase. The study involved 1,194 kindergarten students who underwent individual pre- and post-test assessments to measure proximal and standardized vocabulary, listening comprehension, and content knowledge in science and social studies.

Key Findings

After approximately one semester of implementing the CKLA Knowledge Strand, researchers observed positive and significant impacts on proximal vocabulary, as well as science and social studies knowledge among the students. Furthermore, the study revealed significant interactions between vocabulary and content knowledge, indicating that children with higher receptive vocabulary at the beginning of the school year derived greater benefits from the curriculum in terms of learning new words and content knowledge.

Significance of Study

This research adds a novel perspective by examining the influence of a content-rich literacy curriculum that integrates literacy and content-area instruction. The replication of positive effects across the two RCTs highlights the robustness of the findings and underscores the potential benefits of such educational approaches for young learners.

This study sheds light on the importance of incorporating content-rich literacy practices in early education to enhance students’ language comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and content knowledge. The integration of literacy and subject-area instruction can offer a holistic learning experience and contribute to the overall academic development of young learners.

(Article published online on November 18, 2024)