A group of teachers from Lake Oconee Academy (LOA) recently traveled to Orlando, Fla., to attend the 2011 National Core Knowledge Conference.  The theme for this year’s conference was “Closing Gaps and Building Bridges Through Language, Knowledge, and Reading.”   LOA implements the Core Knowledge curriculum as well as the Georgia Standards in its teaching methodologies.

LOA teachers Melony Greene (2nd grade), Christy Mitchell (2nd grade), Rachel Trivette (4th grade), and  Jody Worth (5th grade) attended several workshops to learn about newly released Core Knowledge implementation practices and curriculum planning tools to assist in preparing a well-developed academic plan for the students of LOA.  While there, the teachers were proud to represent LOA as it received recognition as an Official Core Knowledge Visitation Site from E.D. Hirsch, Jr., founder and chairman of the Core Knowledge Foundation. 

Dedicated to excellence and fairness in early education, the Core Knowledge Foundation is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan organization founded in 1986 by Dr. Hirsch, professor emeritus at the University of Virginia and author of many acclaimed books including Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know and The Schools We Need and Why We Don’t Have Them. The Foundation conducts research on curricula, develops books and other materials for parents and teachers, offers workshops for teachers, and serves as the hub of a growing network of Core Knowledge schools. 

The teachers were excited to return to LOA and share the information received from the conference with their colleagues.

 LOA teachers (left to right) Rachel Trivette, Christy Mitchell, Jody Worth and Melony Greene accept the Official Core Knowledge Visitation Site recognition certificate from Dr. Hirsch (center), founder and chairman of Core Knowledge.