~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Who We Are

Robert Whelan, Editorial Director / Director of the Curriculum Project

Robert is editorial director of Civitas. His books include Involuntary Action: How Voluntary is the 'Voluntary' Sector?; Helping the Poor: Friendly visiting, dole charities and dole queues; The Corruption of the Curriculum (ed.) and From Two Cultures to No Culture: C.P. Snow's 'Two Cultures' lecture 50 years on. Robert was the director of the Family Education Trust from 2000 to 2004 and is a director of the New Model School Company (NMS), an independent organisation set up under the auspices of Civitas in 2003. NMS aims to bring independent schooling within the reach of more parents by running a group of low-fee schools that teach a knowledge-based curriculum delivered through traditional subjects. Robert also established the first of the Civitas Schools in the East End of London in 2005 and ran it for eight years, teaching English and maths to children from less advantaged backgrounds.

Tanya Lubicz-Nawrocka, Marketing and Editorial Executive, Core Knowledge UK

Tanya contributes to managing the development, publication and marketing of Core Knowledge UK educational resources. She manages the website, develops the regular e-newsletters and serves as the Deputy Editor for the resource book series. She particularly enjoys developing new initiatives and resources, including the online activities. Tanya is passionate about promoting educational opportunities for all, which she has demonstrated in her work at Civitas and at various educational charities in the UK and abroad. Tanya earned her Master's of Philosophy degree in Modern Society and Global Transformations at Cambridge University in 2011 and was previously in charge of coordinating international, educational courses at Facing History and Ourselves from 2008-2010 in Boston, US. She has also enjoyed volunteering as a mentor to children for many years.

Emma Lennard, Curriculum Project Director and Schools Coordinator

Emma joined Civitas in 2012 to work on Core Knowledge UK. She is a qualified Primary School Teacher with experience working in inner city London. She taught Year 1 for five years, was Religious Education Co-ordinator and a member of the Senior Leadership Team. Emma is trained to deliver Godly Play and Philosophy for Children and has had experience doing so from Nursery to Year Six. In her previous position Emma also ran after-school training for parents to support their children with learning to read. Emma qualified as a teacher on a SCITT (School Centred Initial Teacher Training) programme after working as an assistant in the European Parliament in Brussels.

Dr David G. Green, Chief Executive of Civitas

David Green is the chief executive of Civitas, which he founded in 2000. He writes for newspapers and has published a wide range of books on education, crime, healthcare and economic reform and include titles such as Individualists Who Co-operate: Education and welfare reform befitting a free people (Civitas) 2009. He occasionally broadcasts on programmes such as Newsnight, the Moral Maze and the Today programme. David completed his PhD at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He was a Labour councillor in Newcastle upon Tyne before leaving the UK to work as a Research Fellow at the Australian National University in Canberra. He later worked at the Institute of Economic Affairs and was Director of its Health and Welfare Unit.

Civitas Colleagues Contributing to Core Knowledge UK

Many colleagues at Civitas have contributed to the development of Core Knowledge UK resources, including Nick Cowen, Nigel Williams, Annaliese Briggs, Catherine Green, Janet Russell, Anastasia de Waal, David Merlin-Jones, Emily Clarke and Aoife O'Donnell.

Illustrators Contributing to Core Knowledge UK

Mark Beech illistrated the literature and music resources for Year 2 and Year 3, and Mark Otton illustrated the owls and Year 2 maps. Other illustrators also contributed.

Original US Core Knowledge Resources

E.D. Hirsch, Jr. is the founder and chairman of the Core Knowledge Foundation and professor emeritus of education and humanities at the University of Virginia.

Linda Bevilacqua is the President of the Core Knowledge Foundation in the US.

Multiculturalism Advisers: Minerva Allen, Barbara Carey, Frank de Varona, Mick Fedullo, Dorothy Fields, Elizabeth Fox-Genovese,Marcia Galli, Dan Garner, Henry Louis Gates, Cheryl Kulas, Joseph C.Miller, Gerry Raining Bird, Connie Rocha, Dorothy Small, Sharon Stewart-Peregoy, Sterling Stuckey, Marlene Walking Bear, Lucille Watahomigie, Ramona Wilson