Joanne Jacobs
Canceling SkippyJon: Everyone wants to censor something
Skippyjon Jones, about a Siamese cat who thought he was a Chihuahua, was a huge hit when it came out in 2003, recalls James V. Shuls. His...
top of page
Joanne Jacobs
- Apr 26
- 1 min
Poll finds strong, bipartisan support for school choice
Democrats and Republicans strongly support school choice, according to a new I&I/TIPP poll, reports Terry Jones. Here's the question,...
Joanne Jacobs
- Apr 21
- 1 min
Museum plans charter school, loses public school field trips
Worcester (Mass.) public school students won't be going on field trips to nearby Old Sturbridge Village any more, reports Neal McNamara...
Joanne Jacobs
- Apr 20
- 2 min
Don't ignore the smart kids
Victoria McDougald thought kindergarten would be exciting and joyful for her son, "an eager, rapid learner," but she learned that the...
Joanne Jacobs
- Apr 18
- 1 min
Choice and common culture
We need to find a way to have school choice and to teach our "shared inheritance" as Americans, writes Fordham's Checker Finn. He worries...
Joanne Jacobs
- Apr 18
- 2 min
Church, state and public school: Is the wall crumbling?
An Oklahoma board rejected a proposed Catholic charter school, citing the need for clarification on how a tax-funded Catholic school...
Joanne Jacobs
- Mar 31
- 1 min
Back in the USA
We returned from Barcelona last night, so I'm a bit jet-lagged -- and where was my breakfast buffet this morning? -- but the blog is...
Joanne Jacobs
- Mar 16
- 2 min
There is no culture war in education's 'ideological heartland'
Most Americans are realists, not cultural warriors, when it comes to education, writes Bruno V. Manno on Smerconish.com. Two-thirds of...
Joanne Jacobs
- Feb 15
- 2 min
Is a religious charter school kosher?
Oklahoma is considering approval of the first religious charter school in the U.S., reports Andrea Eger in Tulsa World. A state board is...
Joanne Jacobs
- Feb 8
- 2 min
Parents need 'choice navigators'
"Choice navigators" can help parents use education scholarships to find the right options for their children, writes Travis Pillow of the...
Joanne Jacobs
- Feb 8
- 3 min
Do parents know best? ESAs go for robots, rabbits, roping lessons
If a homeschooled child learns to code a toy robot, care for a pet rabbit or take cowboy roping lessons, is that an educational expense?...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jan 27
- 2 min
Funding follows students to religious school, if that's parents' choice
Empowered with a $7,000-per-child "backpack of cash," Arizona parents can choose an educational program -- including a religious private...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jan 25
- 1 min
Choice lets parents find a school that respects their rights
"Families should not be stuck in an education system that actively undermines parental rights and ideologically grooms children, argues...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jan 24
- 2 min
ESAs expand in red and purple states, states, and blue-staters are interested too
"Capitalizing on parent’s frustration with public schools during the pandemic," Republican governors are pushing for education savings...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jan 24
- 1 min
54% of parents are considering a new school for their kids
A majority of parents are considering a new school, according to a new survey by the School Choice Awareness Foundation. Two-thirds say...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jan 23
- 2 min
Skip the smart kids: We're holding back (and boring) high achievers
I was very good at school, but also very bored. I wanted to skip a grade to catch up with my sister, but the district never skipped...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jan 12
- 2 min
Scientists, engineers, chefs, gardeners become freelance teachers
An ecosystem of innovative schools and teaching specialists is growing in South Florida's Broward County, writes Ron Matus on ReimaginED....
Joanne Jacobs
- Dec 15, 2022
- 1 min
Ohio vouchers led to higher district scores, less segregation
Ohio's EdChoice vouchers enable 60,000 students from low-income families to leave district schools for alternatives. The program has led...
Joanne Jacobs
- Dec 15, 2022
- 1 min
How Denver schools improved: Choice, accountability
Denver schools' reform strategy improved achievement dramatically, concludes a University of Colorado Denver study. "The overall effects...
Joanne Jacobs
- Dec 5, 2022
- 3 min
Why they left district schools -- and aren't coming back
Seven parents tell Washington Post Magazine why they left district-run public schools for private school or homeschooling. "Since 2019,...
bottom of page