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No wonder kids don't like to read: YA books are vapid and ideological
Simplistic, heavily political YA books turn students off to reading.

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 8, 20252 min read


Poet X hasn't replaced Shakespeare -- yet -- in English classes
English teachers still teach classics, but think students relate more to "diverse" young-adult books.

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 1, 20253 min read


You don't have to be Christian (or conservative) to love parental rights
Parental rights to control their children's upbringing apply to progressives, not just to religious parents.

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 15, 20252 min read


Parents have a right to opt out of LGBTQ+ lessons, SCOTUS rules
Parents' rights won a 6-3 victory in the U.S. Supreme Court: Parents can opt out of gay and transgender lessons that contradict their religious beliefs.

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 27, 20252 min read


Open the door to new worlds: Poor kids have a right to Shakespeare, Bach, Plato
To offer a demanding, powerful curriculum to every child is not elitist. It is egalitarian.

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 2, 20251 min read


If English majors can't read Dickens ...
Most English majors at two state universities in Kansas can't read and understand Dickens' Bleak House.

Joanne Jacobs
May 29, 20253 min read


Following the junk science: How a health crisis became an educational disaster
While millions of European children were in school -- mostly unmasked -- U.S. policymakers ignored the science, suppressed dissent and kept schools closed.

Joanne Jacobs
Apr 23, 20252 min read


Supreme Court will decide: Can schools mandate LGBT books?
Religious parents want to opt their elementary students out of lessons on LGBT books. The Supreme Court will decide the case.

Joanne Jacobs
Apr 22, 20253 min read


Colleges can admit 'diverse' students without racial preferences
Universities can enhance diversity by giving an admissions break to disadvantaged students of all races. It's legal and it's good politics.

Joanne Jacobs
Apr 2, 20252 min read


Dump the devices and bring back textbooks
Good, old-fashioned printed textbooks are valuable learning guides.

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 20, 20252 min read


In a 'boy-friendly' school, boys get more time to play, socialize, choose activities
To be more "boy-friendly," a Baltimore boys' school added free play, student-run clubs and chances to socialize before classes start.

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 16, 20252 min read


Keep it simple: Attention must be paid
How do teachers get the attention of easily distracted "digital natives?"

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 2, 20252 min read


Most teens don't read for fun: What can teachers do?
Few teenagers read for fun regularly, and many don't read for school either, writes Natalie Wexler on Minding the Gap. We're "becoming a...

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 3, 20242 min read


Teaching shouldn't be 'guess what's in my head'
Explicit teaching works better than student-centered learning.

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 25, 20242 min read


Teaching books doesn't work if students won't (or can't) read
English teachers don't teach many novels because students won't do the reading on their own.

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 18, 20243 min read


How to lose: Parents don't want kids to see blowjobs in library books
"A lot of Americans have kids in public schools," writes Eduwonk Andrew Rotherham. " They want normal ." They don't want sexualized...

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 8, 20242 min read


Democrats take over school board, but books stay 'banned'
When a Pennsylvania school board flipped from Republican to Democratic control, some policies changed -- but many did not.

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 1, 20242 min read


Books are too long and boring, say English teachers
When I was in school in the '60s, we read Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights , Great Expectations, Hard Times, Canterbury Tales, The...

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 23, 20242 min read


Once, girls were excited to grow up
Once upon a time, the teenage girls in Judy Blume's stories were "excited to grow up," writes Kat Rosenfield on The Free Press. Starting...

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 4, 20243 min read


Politicizing humanities leaves grads still seeking deep, impractical learning
Colleges have politicized the humanities, leaving graduates feeling cheated of a liberal arts education.

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 22, 20242 min read
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