Why Knowledge-Rich Curriculum Matters—and What Districts Can Do Next

By: Maggie Litz Domanowski

The conversation about reading achievement often gets reduced to ‘skills’—strategies students can apply to any text. But decades of evidence point to a different conclusion: reading comprehension depends heavily on what students know. A knowledge-rich curriculum is one of the most practical, scalable ways districts can improve outcomes—especially for students who have historically been denied consistent access to grade-level content.

A leader in curriculum quality: Amy Fuller

Amy Fuller is the director of Knowledge Maps for the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy (IEP). In this role, she has substantially expanded the reach and depth of IEP’s curriculum work.

Fuller brings more than 20 years of K–12 teaching experience, mostly in the humanities, and has worked in public, charter, and private schools. Prior to joining IEP, she worked specifically with schools and companies developing and analyzing curricular materials aligned to high-quality rubrics, standards, and assessments.

She holds degrees from Towson University (MS in instructional technology) and Loyola University (BA in history with a minor in secondary education). During the School Boards for Academic Excellence summer conference, Amy Fuller presented on ‘How Knowledge-Rich Curriculum Drives Achievement.’

Recognizing the problem: reading outcomes are not where they should be

The 2024 NAEP reading assessment revealed that nearly 2/3 of U.S. 4th graders were reading below the proficient standard—below what all students should know in the fourth grade.

In 2010, both 8th and 4th grade reading levels picked up, but somehow three decades of reform effectively produced zero net gains.

Why ‘reading comprehension’ isn’t a transferable skill

A key implication of the research is straightforward: reading comprehension is not a transferable skill. Students don’t become strong comprehenders by practicing generic strategies alone; they become strong comprehenders by building vocabulary, background knowledge, and familiarity with the topics and language structures that texts assume.

The Matthew effect in reading

The Matthew effect in reading is the phenomenon where children who start with early advantages in literacy skills continue to excel and improve at a faster rate, while those who struggle initially fall further and further behind. This creates a widening gap between strong and weak readers over time.

Coined by psychologist Dr. Keith Stanovich in 1986, the concept is named after the biblical adage, ‘the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.’

How the cycle works

• Strong Readers: Children who easily break the reading code early on find the process rewarding. They read more often, which naturally expands their vocabulary, builds reading fluency, and improves their comprehension. This momentum makes them increasingly better readers.

• Struggling Readers: Conversely, children who face early difficulty decoding words find reading frustrating. Because they struggle, they avoid it. Reading less limits their exposure to new words and concepts, causing their reading growth to stall and widening the achievement gap between them and their peers.

Combating the effect

• Providing intensive, structured phonics and foundational skills instruction in kindergarten and first grade.

• Ensuring students are read to daily to build oral language and vocabulary before they can read independently.

• Fostering a supportive reading environment that encourages daily practice, building reading fluency and confidence.

For more on the implications of early literacy differences, you can review the full breakdown from Reading Rockets or the scientific exploration on the National Institute for Direct Instruction website.

A practical framework: the ongoing cycle of improvement

Improving curriculum isn’t a one-time adoption—it’s an ongoing cycle of improvement that can produce stronger systems, better outcomes, and new knowledge:

1. Research — evidence and inquiry

2. Policy & Practice — decisions and standards

3. Implementation — action and delivery

The solution: what districts can do next

A knowledge-rich approach gives districts a concrete path forward:

• Review the research on knowledge-rich curriculum

• Examine the applications in the field

• Consider next steps for your district

When districts commit to coherent, content-rich materials—and support educators to implement them well—students gain the knowledge base that makes reading, writing, and critical thinking possible across subjects.