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In the post-literate society ... Look! A meme!
Reading is a niche hobby like growing orchids. Most people can't pay attention long enough to read books.

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 93 min read


Adam, Eve and the Prodigal Son: Texas kids will learn Bible stories
Texas schoolchildren will learn Bible stories, "The Lord is My Shepherd" and "Blessed are the peacemakers."

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 292 min read


Gen Z is afraid to drink, date, marry or have kids
Anxious and risk-averse, young Americans are embracing the nanny state.

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 282 min read


College is free for Columbus grads -- but few earn a degree
Free tuition at community college isn't helping students succeed. Poor academic preparation -- not cost -- is the greatest barrier to upward mobility.

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 162 min read


Learning together: There are 'things a free people ought to know'
Democracies need citizens who share enough in common to talk to each other.

Joanne Jacobs
May 312 min read


Bye-bye bisexual women: Young adults move away from LGBT identities
Bisexual identities soared for young women, and now have fallen, leading the decline in young people saying they're LGBT.

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 81 min read


Will this be on the test? Texas may base tests on state reading list
If Texas links state reading tests to a state reading list, teachers will be motivated to focus on content, not isolated skills.

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 63 min read


Asian-American students work hard: Is that a problem?
Asian-American achievers don't just study for tests. They participate in sports, art, music and dance.

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 42 min read


Teens should read great (but hard) books: 'Macbeth' is better than 'Hunger Games'
Good teachers can give students the tools to read, understand and appreciate classic books.

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 24 min read


Texas' English curriculum: What would Jesus do?
Some Texas students are learning a bit more about Bible stories and Christian beliefs in English class.

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 8, 20252 min read


Thankful to be Americans
"Gratitude is the lifeblood of healthy schools and civic institutions, writes Rick Hess, being very Old School. Despite " classroom materials that depict Thanksgiving as just another evil exercise in settler colonialism," he writes, most teachers think schools should teach that the U.S. is "a fundamentally good country. " And they want to "teach students to question the policies of their nation’s government." That's right, Hess writes. Students should count our blessings a

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 27, 20252 min read


'No child has ever been inspired by despair'
The world offers "beauty, progress and opportunity," not just "hardship and injustice."

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 26, 20252 min read


Halloween cowgirls (but no Indians), Harry Potter and Holocaust victims
Colleges are letting students pick their own Halloween costumes this year.

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 31, 20252 min read


After the patriarchy: The HR lady is in charge now
Is women's growing power the cause of wokeness?

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 18, 20252 min read


Math teacher was trained on equity, culture, but not how to teach math
At a well-respected graduate school of education, a former engineer learned about equity, culture and identity, but very little about how to teach math.

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 29, 20253 min read


Boys need men
Boys need male mentors, coaches, Scoutmasters, pastors and son to help them grow up to be responsible men.

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 19, 20253 min read


Teaching kids to serve the collective undercuts ambition, achievement
Taught to serve the collective -- or, at least, the government -- students earned less as adults.

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 26, 20252 min read


Loving the liberal arts: Some students want more than a credential
Students want to read great books and talk about the meaning of life, but college administrators don't see the value, writes a philosophy professor.

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 23, 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 a student isn't learning, who's responsible?
Teaching students to be responsible for their actions is back in fashion.

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 27, 20252 min read
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