Clark, you mentioned Hirsch and my stomach turned :)

But your previous point is dead on: More important than *any* content we teach is whether or not we are teaching students how to think. Are we fostering critical analysis? Are we teaching media literacy? Are we providing opportunities for students to interpret and discuss and explore and investigate?

I'm an English teacher by training, so I think everyone should have the opportunity to read Shakespeare. But much more important to me than if someone can interpret a sonnet is whether or not they think to question the source of a news story, or know how to research its origins. I'd argue that a "Research" class would be much more valuable than an "English" class.

That's the kind of content agnostic curriculum that can stand the test of time.