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Joanne Jacobs
Aug 28, 20232 min read
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...
3 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Aug 11, 20233 min read
AI can be a teaching and learning tool -- or a crutch
Bots powered by artificial intelligence are getting smarter and smarter. Will people get dumb and dumber? Rick Hess of the American...
2 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Aug 7, 20232 min read
'We took care of our kids' -- but they lost a year in reading, math
Juab School District in Utah focused on supporting students emotionally when schools reopened in fall of 2020. “We took care of our...
1 comment


Joanne Jacobs
Jul 27, 20233 min read
Traumatizing math students
There's no evidence that "trauma-deformed pedagogy" (oops, "informed") helps students learn more, writes Max Eden, an American Enterprise...
12 comments

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 26, 20231 min read
What works in teaching English (discussion) may not work in teaching math
The most effective use of class time depends on the subject, concludes a study conducted in high-poverty English high schools, reports...
4 comments

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 21, 20232 min read
You want equity? Teach more -- not less
The foolish idea that teaching kids less math will advance "equity" has spread from California, which has adopted watered-down guidelines...
4 comments

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 19, 20231 min read
$1.7 trillion in college debt is 'mostly unrepayable'
Even if President Biden is able to figure some student loans, most of the $1.7 trillion in college debt will not be repaid -- ever, write...
14 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jul 14, 20232 min read
'Big ideas' aren't always good ideas
Impatience is the besetting sin of progressive education. Progressives want to skip the boring, old fundamentals -- phonics,...
3 comments

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 7, 20231 min read
'Data science' closes STEM doors, professors warn
"Data science" classes don't prepare students for college-level math, science or engineering courses, say University of California...
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Joanne Jacobs
Jul 7, 20232 min read
Equity! Equity! What about the math?
There's a lot of talk about "equity" in the latest draft of California's proposed math framework. In addition to a guarantee of...
4 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jun 24, 20232 min read
Summer school is open, but will students who need it most show up?
This will be the last year of Covid-funded summer school before the pandemic relief money runs out, writes Jo Napolitano on The 74. Some...
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Joanne Jacobs
Jun 22, 20231 min read
CREDO: Some charters are achievement 'gap busters'
Black, Hispanic and low-income students gain the most in reading and math compared to similar students at district schools, concludes a...
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Joanne Jacobs
Jun 22, 20231 min read
A 'lost generation' of learning: Scores fall, gaps widen for 13-year-olds
America's 13-year-olds are moving backwards educationally, according to a new report on long term trends by the National Assessment of...
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Joanne Jacobs
Jun 7, 20233 min read
Charters are outperforming traditional public schools
Charter schools are outperforming traditional public schools, according to a new study by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes...
13 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jun 1, 20232 min read
Schools pair virtual teacher with in-person 'learning coach'
The geometry teacher is in Maryland. The students are in California. A small San Jose charter school is using virtual teachers and...
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Joanne Jacobs
May 31, 20231 min read
At 91, math teacher isn't ready to retire
After 63 years of teaching high school math in Alexandria, Virginia, Lou Kokonis isn't planning to retire. The 91-year-old comes early to...
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Joanne Jacobs
May 31, 20232 min read
Don't make math harder than it needs to be
Struggle is supposed to be good for math students, writes Greg Ashman on Filling the Pail. Telling them how to solve problems is supposed...
11 comments


Joanne Jacobs
May 26, 20232 min read
No-tell teaching: Figure it out for yourself, kid
A leprechaun has two pots of gold, each with 10 coins in it, plus three extra coins. How many coins does he have in all? Some...
10 comments


Joanne Jacobs
May 19, 20232 min read
Students don't learn more from a same-race teacher
Elementary students don't learn more from a teacher who matches them in race or ethnicity, concludes a new study. There is little...
5 comments


Joanne Jacobs
May 17, 20231 min read
Presto chango! You're 'graduation ready'
New Jersey just doubled the percentage of students who are "graduation ready" in reading, writes Chrif Cerf, the former state...
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