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If you want to climb a mountain, don't go two steps and ask, 'How do I feel?'
Nearly all public schools offer some type of counseling, mental health or "wellness" lessons, writes Abigail Shrier in Free Press. But...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 29, 20243 min read
5 comments


The 'party of education' must value merit, get ideology out of classroom
Democrats used to be the "party of education" in voters' minds, notes Education Next. Now voters are split on who they trust most, with...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 28, 20242 min read
2 comments


Lots of kids left behind: Why achievement gaps grew
Achievement gaps are large and growing across the country, writes Chad Aldeman on The 74. It's not the pandemic: Scores have been falling...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 28, 20242 min read
15 comments


Minnesota adopts woke-centric social studies standards
Minnesota have approved "the most ideologically progressive and intellectually vapid social studies standards in America," writes Max...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 27, 20242 min read
1 comment


'Black Lives Matter' coloring book is light on black history
Brooklyn students got schooled on radical politics during Black History Month, reports Francesca Block on Free Press. Students at P.S....
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 26, 20241 min read
1 comment


'Don't say gay' when you're supposed to be teaching fractions
One out of three classroom teachers are working under "gag orders" that limit their speech on gender, sexuality and critical race theory,...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 26, 20242 min read
1 comment


'I want the library to be there for everyody, not just people who share my voting record'
When a patron donated a book questioning "the transgender craze" to the Blue Hill Public Library, librarian Rich Boulet decided "it...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 25, 20242 min read
1 comment


Artificial stupidity: Google's Gemini colors history
Google's new artificial intelligence tool, Gemini, isn't allowed to generate images of people any more until programmers worked the bugs...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 24, 20242 min read
2 comments


Odysseus so white
English teachers at Oakland's College Preparatory School, one of the most expensive private schools in California, have "let go" of...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 23, 20242 min read
14 comments


Poet X replaces Romeo: Why high school students can't read
Adam Kotsko, who teaches humanities at a small liberal arts college, finds that even his best students are unprepared to read and...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 23, 20241 min read
11 comments


What about math? Schools focus on reading, not so much on math
Many schools are training teachers, hiring tutors and changing curricula to improve reading instruction, writes Holly Korey on The 74....
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 22, 20242 min read
20 comments


To spot 'fake news,' students need to know things
It's Media Literacy Monday in journalism class at Cupertino's Monta Vista High School, and Silicon Valley students are analyzing...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 21, 20242 min read
4 comments


Where to find curious, confident, inquisitive students
Her expectations were low she visited Utah Valley University, a large, open-enrollment state university, admits Martha C. Nussbaum, a...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 20, 20242 min read
0 comments


Sympathy for the devil: What's the bad guy's point of view?
Novelist Rachel Kadish tells her creative-writing students to write a first-person monologue by a character with "abhorrent" views that...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 20, 20242 min read
5 comments


Why Joe College can't read
College students have trouble reading anything long or complex, complains Adam Kotsko, in Slate. He's taught humanities classes in small...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 19, 20242 min read
5 comments

Teach old, 'problematic' books
Teach old books, argues Daniel Buck, author of author of What Is Wrong with Our Schools?, on Fordham's Flypaper blog. Yes the language...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 19, 20241 min read
0 comments


Empty shelves: School culls old books, can't afford new books
A Maryland elementary school's library has colorful posters urging kids to read -- but not many books on the shelves, writes Theresa...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 18, 20242 min read
6 comments


Muslim parents win right to reject LGBT books for their children
Muslim children won't be required to read LGBT books in elementary schools in St. Louis Park, a suburb of Minneapolis, reports Mairead...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 18, 20242 min read
7 comments


Parents get a new message: Slightly sick kids should be in class
Worried about a nationwide epidemic of absenteeism, more schools are telling parents to send slightly sick children to school, reports...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 17, 20241 min read
4 comments


Parents get pushy in Fort Worth: Why did every 1st-grader get the same grade?
Trenace Dorsey-Hollins asked why her daughter received "emerging" (the lowest level) on her first-grade report card for a skill she'd...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 16, 20242 min read
7 comments
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