Thinking and Linking

Joanne Jacobs

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    Joanne Jacobs
    • Jan 5, 2020
    • 1 min

    School’s Out

    From CNN: Jazz great Jack Sheldon, known for his work on “The Merv Griffin Show” and “Schoolhouse Rock!,” has died. He was 88. Sheldon...
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    Pre-K’s benefits are ‘overblown’
    Joanne Jacobs
    • Jul 18, 2018
    • 2 min

    Pre-K’s benefits are ‘overblown’

    Universal, free (government-funded) pre-kindergarten is a popular cause, writes Russ Whitehurst, a senior fellow in Brookings’ Center on...
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    Joanne Jacobs
    • Jun 6, 2018
    • 3 min

    Does babytalk matter? Word gap wrangle

    By the age of three, children growing up in poverty hear 30 million fewer words than the children of educated parents, concluded a study...
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    Swedish preschools teach boys to dance, girls to yell
    Joanne Jacobs
    • Mar 31, 2018
    • 2 min

    Swedish preschools teach boys to dance, girls to yell

    Swedish preschools encourage boys to draw, dance and play in toy kitchens, while girls are taught to shout “No!,” reports Ellen Barry in...
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    Help parents help kids before they start school
    Joanne Jacobs
    • Feb 26, 2018
    • 1 min

    Help parents help kids before they start school

    Education reformers are working hard to “rescue” children who arrive at school without the language skills, knowledge and emotional...
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    Naked tykes by the fire pit
    Joanne Jacobs
    • Feb 17, 2018
    • 2 min

    Naked tykes by the fire pit

    Sara Zaske moved to Germany with a four-year-old daughter, then gave birth to a son. In Achtung Baby she praises “the German art of...
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    ‘Nudging’ aims to change habits
    Joanne Jacobs
    • Feb 1, 2018
    • 2 min

    ‘Nudging’ aims to change habits

    Text-messaged “nudges” can help parents support their children’s learning, writes Daisy Yuhas, citing research at Stanford’s Center for...
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    Does your kid’s preschool teacher need a degree?
    Joanne Jacobs
    • Jan 19, 2018
    • 2 min

    Does your kid’s preschool teacher need a degree?

    Should preschool teachers be college graduates? “Our most important teachers” — preschool teachers — are paid the least, writes Jeneen...
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    Your baby is not Einstein
    Joanne Jacobs
    • Jan 12, 2018
    • 2 min

    Your baby is not Einstein

    A Colorado mother shot the first video for her child in 1996. “Five years later, she sold the company to Disney for a reported $25...
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    Teaching kindness
    Joanne Jacobs
    • Jan 11, 2018
    • 1 min

    Teaching kindness

    Feelings are part of the curriculum for young children in some New York City schools, reports Richard Schiffman in the New York Times....
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    To end inequality, more preschool?
    Joanne Jacobs
    • Oct 4, 2017
    • 2 min

    To end inequality, more preschool?

    “Inequality in America is apparent by age 3, writes writes Heather Long in the Washington Post. “Most rich kids are in school, while most...
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    Is your 5-year-old an anarchist?
    Joanne Jacobs
    • Aug 23, 2017
    • 1 min

    Is your 5-year-old an anarchist?

    In Pasco County, Florida, parents don’t like “new behavior expectation charts that suggest conforming to peer pressure is positive, and...
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    Red shirts for all? Older is better through college
    Joanne Jacobs
    • Aug 23, 2017
    • 2 min

    Red shirts for all? Older is better through college

    Older students do better through college, according to a new study by David Figlio, a Northwestern economist, reports John Ydstie on NPR....
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    More work, less play makes Jack a smarter boy
    Joanne Jacobs
    • Jun 14, 2017
    • 2 min

    More work, less play makes Jack a smarter boy

    Preschools where teachers teach about phonics, numbers and shapes  produce cognitive gains for students — especially blacks — concludes a...
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    Modeling high school on preschool
    Joanne Jacobs
    • Apr 27, 2017
    • 2 min

    Modeling high school on preschool

    High school should be more like preschool, writes Sarah Garland in the Hechinger Report. That means more focus on relationships, play,...
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    Redshirting may do more harm than good
    Joanne Jacobs
    • Apr 18, 2017
    • 1 min

    Redshirting may do more harm than good

    “Redshirting” five-year-olds may do more harm than good, concludes a study published in Education Next. The academic advantages of being...
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    First graders read better, but …
    Joanne Jacobs
    • Apr 18, 2017
    • 1 min

    First graders read better, but …

    First graders are better readers than they were 12 years ago, according to an Ohio State study, reports USA Today. Students are learning...
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    Kindergarten can wait
    Joanne Jacobs
    • Mar 25, 2017
    • 1 min

    Kindergarten can wait

    Kids who wait a year to start kindergarten show significant long-term benefits, concludes a Stanford study of Danish children. “Delaying...
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    Bringing preschool home
    Joanne Jacobs
    • Feb 19, 2017
    • 1 min

    Bringing preschool home

    By the first day of kindergarten, children with educated, affluent parents are far readier for school success than children from...
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    Joanne Jacobs
    • Feb 5, 2017
    • 1 min

    ‘Nature Preschools’ grow 

    “Nature preschools” are catching on, reports Education Week. Children play outside, exploring natural environments. All Friends Nature...
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