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Job or college? Germany adds flexibility to apprenticeship system
One German state is adding flexibility to its two-track education system, writes Frieda Klotz on the Hechinger Report. German students...

Joanne Jacobs
Apr 3, 20241 min read


Teachers are fed up with student misbehavior, classroom chaos
The "new normal" of student behavior -- a toxic mix of disrespect, disruption, violence and apathy -- is driving teachers to despair,...

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 24, 20243 min read


The Finnish miracle is finished, but why?
Finland! Finland! Finland! Twenty years ago, Finland's top-of-the-world PISA scores made it "the most widely celebrated and imitated...

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 18, 20242 min read


Ban phones in school: The experiment with kids' minds has failed
Smart phones are making students less smart, writes Derek Thompson in The Atlantic. Student achievement has been falling around the world...

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 23, 20232 min read


Math crisis is global: US teens do worse on PISA, but so do others
The bad news from international testing: U.S. 15-year-olds did significantly worse in math from 2018 to 2022 on the Program for...

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 6, 20232 min read


'P' is for propaganda
Let's dump the curriculum and teach Palestinian propaganda instead, said a group of Oakland (CA) teachers. They proposed an all-day...

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 4, 20232 min read


Everyone passes -- or else!
Universities will have to push failing students above the 50 percent mark or pay hefty fines under legislation proposed by the Australian...

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 29, 20231 min read


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 9, 20232 min read


Apprenticeship-to-degree model launches debt-free careers
How do you get a job at Goldman Sachs? In the U.S., it usually takes a degree from an elite college to get in the door. In Britain,...

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 20, 20232 min read


Finland's secret: Teachers teach
Finland has become a mecca for miracle-seeking educators, writes Sam Chaltain on Letters from the Future (of Learning). Teaching is an...

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 1, 20231 min read


Generation Doom: Show students a path forward
Teachers should encourage young people to believe in the future, writes Alice Dominguez on EdSurge. The Doomer Generation needs a sense...

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 20, 20231 min read


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
Oct 29, 20222 min read


Reading 'Anne Frank' in Kabul
A secret book club for teen-age girls in Kabul, Afghanistan is reading The Diary of Anne Frank, reports Diaa Hadid for NPR. "Banned from...

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 18, 20221 min read


Putin orders pro-war classes
Russian schools are watching war movies, taking "virtual tours" through Crimea and "celebrating Russia's 'rebirth' under President...

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 18, 20221 min read


No learning loss in Sweden
Photo: Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels In Sweden, which kept schools open throughout the pandemic, first- through third-graders made normal...

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 13, 20221 min read


What’s ‘age appropriate’ for young students?
Parents and teachers want lessons to be “age appropriate,” but disagree on when children are ready for painful topics, writes Marta W....

Joanne Jacobs
May 9, 20222 min read


‘Russian’ school gets a new name
A “Support Ukraine” rally in Indianapolis on April 9. Children still come for after-school classes in math, science and chess, but the...

Joanne Jacobs
May 7, 20221 min read
When Coronavirus Cuts Your “Study Abroad” Program Short
Can you imagine getting to study abroad somewhere as exotic as Morocco, and then getting stuck there due to coronavirus? Danford, an...

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 25, 20202 min read
U.S. spends more on schools, gets less
The U.S. spends more on education than our competitors, but gets less brains for the buck, writes Dominic Rushe in The Guardian. The US...

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 25, 20181 min read


Excellent teachers or small classes?
What’s more important: excellent teachers or small class sizes? Singapore’s educational success is based on highly qualified,...

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 4, 20181 min read
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