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Down, down, down
The pandemic -- and the response to the pandemic -- was a disaster for students. We knew that, but now we really know that. Reading and...

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 1, 20222 min read


The smart get smarter
In the ten years before the pandemic, high achievers did better in math and reading while everyone else slid, writes Fordham's Michael...

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 1, 20222 min read


Already behind, students are asked to do less
Students fell behind in reading and math when schools closed, and they're not likely to catch up if teachers don't assign challenging...

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 18, 20221 min read


Administrators return to teaching to fill shortages
Teacher shortages are worse than ever this year, reports Hannah Natanson in the Washington Post. "Pandemic-induced teacher exhaustion"...

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 3, 20221 min read


Merit is not a myth
If I wanted to prevent disadvantaged or "marginalized" students from doing well in school, succeeding in college, learning a career or...

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 27, 20222 min read


'R' is for reading -- and race
K-2 teachers won't be switching to a new research-backed, phonics-based literacy curriculum this fall, reports Dana Goldstein in the New...

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 22, 20223 min read


Data science vs. calculus
California's proposed math guidelines claim to promote equity by offering a data-science alternative to the traditional...

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 19, 20222 min read


Don’t know much about teaching math
Are elementary teachers well prepared to teach math? Many elementary teachers aren’t confident about their math skills, and transmit...

Joanne Jacobs
May 24, 20221 min read


Multiple math paths to where?
California’s proposed new math framework offers a “choose-your-own-adventure approach” that is “fundamentally flawed,” argue Jennifer...

Joanne Jacobs
May 24, 20222 min read


Magical thinking on teaching math
We know a lot about how to teach students who have trouble learning math, writes researcher Tom Loveless. Why not use that? Photo:...

Joanne Jacobs
May 24, 20222 min read


‘Financial lit’ vs. ‘don’t buy what you can’t afford’
Georgia is making “financial literacy” a graduation requirement, reports Carmen Reinecke on CNBC. It’s the 13th state to mandate...

Joanne Jacobs
May 19, 20222 min read
Aviation students solve problems — before the crash
Students are learning math, engineering and problem solving through a curriculum designed by the nonprofit Aircraft Owners and Pilots...

Joanne Jacobs
May 4, 20222 min read
Paper and Pencil
K-12 education should de-emphasize computers and graphing calculators in all but the highest math classes. Too many students are allowed...

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 20, 20202 min read
Postsecondary Math Education
Reports like this make me rub my head and sigh. It’s wrong right out of the gate: Higher education institutions in California and across...

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 19, 20201 min read
“Restructuring” Public Education
This author invites a total restructuring of K-14 education: Any restructuring effort must start with getting the funding right, which...

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 17, 20202 min read
Lack of Algebra Skills
Joanne’s off to Africa and handed me the reins, and my first post will be a link to a rant about declining algebra skills in my school...

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 11, 20201 min read
Education Reform
Forbes has an excellent “decade retrospective” on education reform and suggests where we might look for results in the next decade: Now...

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 30, 20192 min read


Social justicing mathematx
Joy Pullman rants well. In The Federalist, she takes on social justice math. University of Illinois Professor Rochelle Gutierrez, who...

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 20, 20182 min read


Think (and draw) like a mathematician
book titled Math with Bad Drawings after his blog. “Orlin shows us how to think like a mathematician by teaching us a brand-new game of...

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 16, 20181 min read


Unprepared to learn — or even to try
Credit: ClipartXtras Having failed their way through middle school, students are passed on to high school, writes Darren Miller on Right...

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 30, 20181 min read
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