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

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 262 min read
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Halloween cowgirls (but no Indians), Harry Potter and Holocaust victims
Colleges are letting students pick their own Halloween costumes this year.

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 312 min read
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After the patriarchy: The HR lady is in charge now
Is women's growing power the cause of wokeness?

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 182 min read
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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 293 min read
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Boys need men
Boys need male mentors, coaches, Scoutmasters, pastors and son to help them grow up to be responsible men.

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 193 min read
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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 262 min read
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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 232 min read
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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 21 min read
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If a student isn't learning, who's responsible?
Teaching students to be responsible for their actions is back in fashion.

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 272 min read
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When Irish eyes are smiling (and Jewish kids are singing)
I loved singing Irish songs for St. Patrick's Day at my mostly Jewish public school.

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 161 min read
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How virtual learning broke a top high school's culture of excellence
Eighteen months of remote schooling broke the culture of excellence at Baltimore's City College high school.

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 101 min read
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Meritocracy 2.0: Can we celebrate weird geniuses and jocks?
Can we create a merit-based society that's more than a rat race?

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 212 min read
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'Give yourself a break' is bad advice: Do difficult things!
Young people need to believe they can do difficult things. Don't tell them they're fragile.

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 62 min read
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The true meaning of Christmas
Christmas traditions are worth preserving.

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 24, 20242 min read
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Teens are doing less homework, earning higher grades
Teenagers are working less and earning higher grades. Everybody's "phoning it in."

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 18, 20242 min read
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Western Civ is hot: Parents are choosing classical-ed schools
Classical schools teaching Great Books and Western civ are very popular with parents.

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 2, 20241 min read
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Who was the Good Samaritan? Let there be Bible stories in Texas schools
Texas' board of education has narrowly approved a new K-5 curriculum that includes Bible stories , reports Shaun Rabb for Fox News....

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 2, 20242 min read
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What parents want: Teach reading, 'riting, 'rithmetic, civics and ...
Parents on the left, right and center agree that schools should teach reading, writing, math and civics, writes David M. Houston, a...

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 2, 20242 min read
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