Education Minister has addressed the Core Knowledge
Foundation's National Conference in Florida, where he outlined
his vision for reforming and improving education delivery in
Northern Ireland.
The Core Knowledge Foundation Conference brought together some of
the world's most influential voices in curriculum and cognitive
science to explore how knowledge-rich curricula can raise
standards and close attainment gaps.
participated in a plenary
session, chaired by Robert Pondiscio, senior visiting fellow at
the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and a senior fellow at the
American Enterprise Institute entitled ‘No Boundaries, Just
Possibilities: A Worldwide Call to Action for Knowledge Building
in Education', along with New Zealand's Education Minister, Erica
Stanford and Sir , former Minister of State for
Schools.
The Minister said: “It was a great honour to meet
Professor E.D. Hirsch whose work has helped inspire my
TransformED strategy and to share Northern Ireland's recent
experiences with an international audience.
“At the heart of the Core Knowledge Foundation's approach
is a belief that all children — regardless of background —
deserve access to a shared, content-rich curriculum. This vision
aligns closely with my TransformED strategy, which sets out to
ensure that all learners are supported to reach their full
potential through the curriculum, high-quality teaching and
evidence-informed practice.
“During the conference, I also had the opportunity to
speak personally with a range of internationally renowned
educational experts and authors including Professor Dylan Wiliam
and Professor Daniel Willingham — conversations that offered
valuable insights and will help inform educational reforms in
Northern Ireland.”
During the visit, the Minister attended a number of meetings with
key officials from Miami Dade and Orange County about the Florida
school system, performance and curriculum and standards. The
meetings provided opportunities to discuss the TransformED
Strategy and the ongoing Strategic Review of the Northern Ireland
Curriculum. Emphasising his commitment to reforming the local
education system, concluded: “In many
education systems internationally, there remains a strong
correlation between socio-economic disadvantage and educational
outcomes. There is much we can learn from some of the highest
performing school boards in the United States and approaches that
could be applied in Northern Ireland.
“The Core Knowledge Foundation commitment to educational
excellence and equity mirrors my own and I have left Florida with
valuable insights and ideas to inform my educational reforms in
Northern Ireland. It is encouraging to see that our TransformED
strategy, already well-received at home, is now gaining
international recognition.”
Notes to editors:
1. The mission of the Core Knowledge Foundation is to advance
excellence and equity in education for all children. To achieve
this mission, they offer detailed curricular guidance and
materials to schools, teachers, parents, and policy makers - to
anyone who believes that every child in a diverse democracy
deserves access to enabling knowledge.
2. Attendees at the conference included:
- E.D. Hirsch Jr, American educator, literary critic and
theorist, who is the founder of the Core Knowledge Foundation;
- Dylan Wiliam, Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment at
UCL Institute of Education and author of Developing
Curriculum for Deep Thinking: The Knowledge Revival (2025)
and Robert Pondiscio, senior visiting fellow at the Thomas B.
Fordham Institute and a senior fellow at the American
Enterprise Institute;
- Daniel Willingham, is a Professor of Psychology at the
University of Virginia and is the author of several books,
including the best-selling Why Don't Students Like
School?, and most recently, Outsmart Your
Brain. In 2017 he was appointed by President Obama to serve
as a Member of the National Board for Education Sciences.
