Joanne Jacobs
Striver parents want toys to 'cram learning into playtime'
For ambitious parents, toys are supposed to "cram learning into playtime," writes Alex Blasdel in The Guardian. "Is it time for a...
Joanne Jacobs
- Oct 29
- 2 min
Boy trouble
Boys are struggling in school around the world, not just in the United States, points out Kay Hymowitz in City Journal. Boys have lower...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
Joanne Jacobs
- Aug 22, 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....
Joanne Jacobs
- Jun 13, 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...
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,...
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...
Joanne Jacobs
- Apr 17, 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...
Joanne Jacobs
- Mar 24, 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...