Joanne Jacobs
Poor kids can learn to read too
Overall, family poverty and reading problems go together. But some school districts are beating the odds.
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Joanne Jacobs
- Aug 21
- 1 min
Sprinkling the fairy dust that helps children fly
My visiting eight-month-old granddaughter crawl-flopped past the teething toys to chew on the metal leg of the coffee table. "Try the...
Joanne Jacobs
- Aug 21
- 2 min
Racial achievement gaps: Poverty, parents explain some (not all) of differences
Socioeconomic status explains some of the Black/White achievement gap and most of the Hispanic/White achievement gap.
Joanne Jacobs
- Aug 1
- 2 min
Only the education-rich can afford laissez-faire schools
Monogamy is "outdated," Troubled author Rob Henderson's Yale classmate told him. She's been raised in a stable, two-parent family and...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jul 18
- 2 min
'Raised by wolves,' Vance defends parents' rights
“Parents should absolutely be the primary stakeholders in their kids' education, and anyone who disagrees should stay the hell away from...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jul 5
- 2 min
The college pitch: How students write personal essays
Minority students are only slightly less likely to write about their racial or ethnic identity in college admissions essays, according to...
Joanne Jacobs
- Mar 29
- 3 min
A 'Colorblind America' sees race, but tries to treat people the same
"Anti-racism" is a kind of "neo-racism," argues Coleman Hughes in his new book, The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind...
Joanne Jacobs
- Mar 23
- 1 min
St. Peter's wins March Madness for mobility
The Peacocks of Saint Peter’s University were blown out of the NCAA basketball tournament in the first round, losing to University of...
Joanne Jacobs
- Mar 21
- 2 min
As absenteeism soars, schools want money for no-show students
Funding schools based on enrollment rather than attendance would be "more equitable," a superintendent told Rick Hess as they waited to...
Joanne Jacobs
- Feb 10
- 2 min
It takes a stable family
"Luxury beliefs" -- the idea that monogamy is outdated, drugs are harmless and success comes from luck rather than hard work -- are fine...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jan 30
- 2 min
Psych out: Why are we teaching kids to be hopeless and helpless?
"Anti-racists" are demoralizing black students, write Julian Adorney and Jake Mackey on Quillette. Teenage depression and suicide rates...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jan 24
- 3 min
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 20
- 2 min
Does preschool help kids -- or harm them?
Expanding free preschool is a progressive priority. Early experiments in the 1960s and 1970s -- Perry Preschool program and the...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jan 9
- 1 min
To gain public trust, make college admissions less 'murky'
College admissions are "murky," and getting murkier, writes Peter Arcidiacono, a Duke economics professor, on Persuasion. "Test-optional"...
Joanne Jacobs
- Nov 21, 2023
- 3 min
AP tests are tough: Is the bar too high for disadvantaged students?
"The basic philosophy of the Advanced Placement Program is simply that all students are not created equal," said the program's director,...
Joanne Jacobs
- Oct 27, 2023
- 2 min
Rich kids, smart kids
Wealthy parents raise high-scoring children, according to new SAT and ACT data, reports Claire Cain Miller in the New York Times....
Joanne Jacobs
- Oct 8, 2023
- 2 min
Parenting alone: What happened to marriage?
Growing up in a two-parent family is an enormous advantage, writes Melissa Kearney in The Two-Parent Privilege. It's the norm for...
Joanne Jacobs
- Sep 16, 2023
- 1 min
Yale changes admissions, avoids bias lawsuit
Elite colleges have "rolled out new application questions this fall to provide students with opportunities to discuss their racial...
Joanne Jacobs
- Sep 13, 2023
- 2 min
Love, marriage, honor roll: Culture closes 'excellence gaps'
Culture explains why Asian-American students do so well in school, writes Helen Raleigh, who's Asian American, in The Federalist. It's...
Joanne Jacobs
- Sep 8, 2023
- 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...
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