Joanne Jacobs
'It's knowledge all the way down'
"Knowledge is what we think with," writes Greg Ashman, an Australian educator, on Filling the Pail. "Thinking in the absence of knowledge...
top of page
Joanne Jacobs
- Sep 26
- 2 min
4-day school weeks are spreading, but students learn less
More schools -- and not just in rural areas -- are adopting four-day weeks, reports AP's Heather Hollingsworth. Districts hope the change...
Joanne Jacobs
- Sep 25
- 2 min
Is this equity? White liberals think it's 'racially enlightened' to lower standards
In Dream Town: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity, Washington Post reporter Laura Meckler, a Shaker Heights native, writes...
Joanne Jacobs
- Sep 25
- 2 min
Schools spend $20 billion a year for equity training, but does it work?
Public schools spend billions on equity training, but have no idea what works, writes Katherine Reynolds Lewis in USA Today. "None of the...
Joanne Jacobs
- Sep 15
- 2 min
Back to 'normal' isn't enough: The Covid generation is at risk
It's time to bring back bipartisan education reform writes Fordham's Michael Petrilli. He's promoting A Generation at Risk, a "call to...
Joanne Jacobs
- Sep 14
- 2 min
KIPP schools are game changers
KIPP charters are game changers, concludes a new Mathematica study. Compared to similar students who applied to KIPP but lost the...
Joanne Jacobs
- Sep 10
- 3 min
Is misogyny real? The present is female
Misogyny is a myth, argues John Tierney in City Journal. It's not just that "the future is female." The present is too. In the past,...
Joanne Jacobs
- Sep 9
- 2 min
For failing students, lockdown was freedom, school is 'prison'
School is "like being in prison," says 14-year-old Kieran, who has dyslexia and ADHD. He prefers doing physical labor with his father....
Joanne Jacobs
- Sep 8
- 2 min
How Detroit school is trying to get students to show up
Mentors, home visits, data analysis and movie visits for students and grocery gift cards for parents are among the strategies used to get...
Joanne Jacobs
- Sep 8
- 1 min
Missing persons: Will absentees show up this year?
Chronic absenteeism -- missing 18+ days of a 180-day school year -- is way up, writes Ed Navigator's Tim Daly. Twenty-five percent of...
Joanne Jacobs
- Sep 7
- 3 min
Houston's revamped schools: 'ruthless efficiency,' lots of engagement
After a state takeover of Houston schools, Superintendent Mike Miles has launched a very ambitious set of reforms for the city's...
Joanne Jacobs
- Aug 31
- 1 min
Up, up and away: More A's, lower test scores
High school grades went up in all subjects from 2010-2022, reports ACT. Achievement did not. Grade inflation was the highest in math:...
Joanne Jacobs
- Aug 29
- 1 min
Cheaters prosper: Why graduation rates are meaningless
High schools have been using online credit recovery (OCR) to inflate graduation rates, writes Jeremy Noonan. His former district,...
Joanne Jacobs
- Aug 28
- 2 min
More students are in 'big, big trouble' in reading, math, and they're not catching up
Students are learning again, but most are not catching up for learning lost during the pandemic, conclude three new reports comparing...
Joanne Jacobs
- Aug 22
- 2 min
NYC will spend billions to cut class sizes: Who'll get the good teachers?
State-mandated cuts in class sizes primarily will benefit New York City students in low-poverty schools, report Alex Zimmerman and Matt...
Joanne Jacobs
- Aug 21
- 2 min
DIY schooling leaves home: Microschools, co-ops, hybrids, pods ...
When schools went remote, many parents took charge of their children's education, and learned how to find online and community resources,...
Joanne Jacobs
- Aug 18
- 2 min
California pledges $4 billion for 'community schools' -- but do students learn more?
There were high hopes for Akron's I Promise School when it opened in 2018, writes Mike Antonucci on The 74. With lots of extra funding...
Joanne Jacobs
- Aug 17
- 2 min
Detracking in Shaker Heights: 'Honors' for all, lower expectations
All Shaker Heights students take honors classes -- or classes with an "honors" label. The "enriched" and "advanced" tracks are gone,...
Joanne Jacobs
- Aug 16
- 2 min
Summer jobs boost school success
Working for the summer pays off for teenagers from low-income families, concludes a study of Boston's summer job program. Winning the job...
Joanne Jacobs
- Aug 15
- 2 min
Start college in 9th grade, says community college chancellor
All California high school students should be enrolled in community college courses, by default, starting in ninth grade, says Sonya...
bottom of page