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Joanne Jacobs
Jan 31 min read
California tells schools: Go easy on homework
A new California law urges school to set homework policies that ease stress and promote "equity."
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Joanne Jacobs
Dec 11, 20242 min read
'Multilevel classes' aren't equitable or excellent, say teachers
Mixing high-achieving, average and low-achieving students in the same class was a noble experiment, writes Ryan Normandin, a high school...
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Joanne Jacobs
Dec 7, 20242 min read
Is DEI doomed?
University DEI programs are losing popularity on campus and off.
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Joanne Jacobs
Nov 1, 20242 min read
Democrats take over school board, but books stay 'banned'
When a Pennsylvania school board flipped from Republican to Democratic control, some policies changed -- but many did not.
2 comments
Joanne Jacobs
Oct 30, 20241 min read
Achievers need a chance to go faster, fly higher
"Differentiating instruction" in a class with a wide range of performance levels doesn't work for high achievers -- or anyone else.
4 comments
Joanne Jacobs
Oct 25, 20242 min read
Who's truly disadvantaged? Look at single parenting, not race or poverty
Growing up in a single-parent family is a huge disadvantage in life, writes Fordham's Michael Petrilli in Forbes. If racial preferences...
2 comments
Joanne Jacobs
Oct 17, 20242 min read
DEI at U of Michigan: 'rote incantations of a state religion'
University of Michigan's DEI program has created a "culture of grievance," not inclusion, say students and professors.
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Joanne Jacobs
Oct 10, 20242 min read
Want equity? Teach more math, not less
As a math teacher in the early 2000s, Adrian Mims saw few Black and Hispanic students succeeding in Brooklin (MA) High School's honors...
8 comments
Joanne Jacobs
Jul 19, 20242 min read
Vo-tech is STEM prep: Needy kids can't get in to learn a trade
High-needs students have a hard time getting into vocational-tech schools in Massachusetts, reports the Boston Globe. Most of the highly...
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Joanne Jacobs
Jun 14, 20241 min read
When 96% pass science, but only 16% meet standards on the test
San Diego 11th-grade students are passing classes, but failing proficiency tests.
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Joanne Jacobs
May 18, 20242 min read
Democrats care about equality, but not education, say voters
Black and Hispanic parents may switch from Biden to Trump. Democrats value equality but don't deliver on quality, they say.
6 comments
Joanne Jacobs
May 2, 20242 min read
Smart kids left alone: What schools are doing -- and not doing -- for 'advanced learners'
"Highly capable" students will lose advanced learning opportunities in Seattle Public Schools. To address "historical inequity," all...
7 comments
Joanne Jacobs
Apr 5, 20242 min read
Backlash: Professors reject DEI 'loyalty oaths'
Universities should stop requiring diversity statements, writes Randall L. Kennedy, a Harvard Law professor, in the Harvard Crimson....
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Joanne Jacobs
Mar 27, 20242 min read
Is there a good-teacher gap? Maybe not
Measuring teacher quality is tricky, and that makes it hard to tell if there's a good-teacher gap, writes Fordham's Michael Petrilli in...
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Joanne Jacobs
Mar 20, 20242 min read
Lowering expectations doesn't lead to 'equity'
It's easier to get A's and harder to get an education, writes Fordham's Michael Petrilli. Expectations started falling and grades...
15 comments
Joanne Jacobs
Mar 19, 20242 min read
Drop the admissions essay, and bring back the SAT
It's time to dump college admissions essays, writes Matthew Levey on The 74. Test scores and good grades in challenging courses are...
11 comments
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 13, 20242 min read
No extra credit for Kleenex: 'Equitable grading' is honest -- not easy, says advocate
"Equitable grading" isn't a strategy to inflate grades and lower expectations, argues Joe Feldman, author of Grading for Equity and CEO...
3 comments
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 8, 20242 min read
Leveling up: How to get 'diverse' kids to advanced math
"Equity" doesn't mean lowering standards in Union district near Tulsa, reports Hechinger's Neal Morton. Most students in accelerated math...
18 comments
Joanne Jacobs
Jan 24, 20242 min read
'No excuses' school guru passes on: Will excellence survive?
Linda Brown, who trained hundreds of charter leaders as leader of (Building Excellent Schools (ES), has died at the age of 81. Many of...
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Joanne Jacobs
Jan 21, 20242 min read
A professor writes: What I really think about DEI
James Hankins, a Harvard history professor, posts an honest diversity statement addressed to "dear members of Harvard's Faceless...
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