E.D. Hirsch, Jr.

E.D. Hirsch, Jr. is an American literary critic and educator, professor emeritus of education and humanities at the University of Virginia, and founder and chairman of the nonprofit Core Knowledge Foundation. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a doctorate from Yale University, where he taught before joining the University of Virginia faculty in 1966. Hirsch is best known for advancing the concept of cultural literacy through his bestselling book Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know.

His other books include The Schools We Need and Why We Don’t Have Them, The Knowledge Deficit, and the Core Knowledge series, which includes What Your Sixth Grader Needs to Know. He is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the International Academy of Education.