Joanne Jacobs
All children can learn -- but how much?
Not all education problems are solvable, if we just try hard enough or spend enough, argues Freddie DeBoer in a column on optimism bias. ...
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Joanne Jacobs
- Mar 17
- 2 min
Why was Rosa Parks told to move to the back of the bus?
Florida is approving new "anti-woke" social studies textbooks, reports Sarah Mervosh in the New York Times. Some publishers think the...
Joanne Jacobs
- Mar 9
- 1 min
Elite Philly school is being 'dismantled' by lottery admissions, say parents
An influx of unprepared students, admitted by a new lottery system, is destroying Philadelphia's top-ranked school, charges a report by...
Joanne Jacobs
- Mar 9
- 2 min
Columbia goes 'holistic,' dumps SAT/ACT requirement
Columbia University, know for its core curriculum in humanities, has become the first Ivy League school to drop SAT/ACT scores as an...
Joanne Jacobs
- Feb 23
- 1 min
Mediocrity for all isn't equity
In Culver City (CA), ninth- and tenth-grade honors classes were eliminated, reports Sara Randazzo in the Wall Street Journal. Officials...
Joanne Jacobs
- Feb 21
- 2 min
DC 2nd-graders will study gender roles in Rome, Aksum and China
Writing social studies standards is always controversial. Often they're vague and meaningless, but sometimes they're insanely detailed,...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jan 26
- 2 min
Exodus: Achievers' families are leaving
As many New York City middle schools end selective admissions, middle- and upper-middle-class parents are considering private schools or...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jan 24
- 1 min
54% of parents are considering a new school for their kids
A majority of parents are considering a new school, according to a new survey by the School Choice Awareness Foundation. Two-thirds say...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jan 22
- 2 min
'Diversity training' costs billions, but does it work?
There's no evidence diversity training works and some evidence it hurts, writes Jesse Singal in a New York Times commentary. The...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jan 19
- 2 min
Teach practical skills -- not college prep -- says post-pandemic poll
The pandemic has changed Americans' priorities for K-12 education, writes Greg Toppo on The 74. Preparing for college, ranked #10 in...
Joanne Jacobs
- Dec 27, 2022
- 2 min
It's just kiddie sex, not pedophilia, so no worries
Jonathan Evison's Lawn Boy, doesn't belong in school libraries, say angry parents, because the graphic novel depicts an adult man having...
Joanne Jacobs
- Dec 23, 2022
- 3 min
Mastering newspeak at Stanford
Will Stanford continue to award master's degrees? Will my daughter's major -- American Studies -- need a new name? Stanford's IT...
Joanne Jacobs
- Dec 7, 2022
- 1 min
Don't push good teachers over the fiscal cliff
School districts are hiring more staffers, even as enrollments decline. When federal pandemic relief funds run out in 2024, who will be...
Joanne Jacobs
- Dec 6, 2022
- 2 min
Applying while Asian: No violin, no chess, no math club
Asian-American students are advised to be "less Asian" when they apply to selective colleges, reports Amy Qin in the New York Times....
Joanne Jacobs
- Nov 21, 2022
- 2 min
Let AI spot disadvantaged students with high potential
Some have proposed an admission lottery for candidates who meet qualifications. Roland G. Fryer Jr., a Harvard economics professor,...
Joanne Jacobs
- Nov 20, 2022
- 2 min
'Anti-adoption drumbeat' leaves kids in foster care
Naomi Schaefer Riley hears an "anti-adoption drumbeat" from the media. "In the wake of the Dobbs decision, the Left wants to make sure...
Joanne Jacobs
- Nov 3, 2022
- 2 min
Excluding Ophelia: Here's how to justify bias against Asian achievers
Asian-American students teachers earn high grades in advanced classes because teachers hold them to high expectations, argues Jennifer...
Joanne Jacobs
- Nov 2, 2022
- 2 min
America is not black and white any more
Affirmative action was created at a time when most Americans belonged to a white majority or a black minority, writes Megan McArdle in...
Joanne Jacobs
- Nov 2, 2022
- 2 min
Diversity on trial
Diversity is a "fig leaf" for elite colleges' desire to discriminate on the basis of race, says linguist John McWhorter in a New York...
Joanne Jacobs
- Nov 1, 2022
- 3 min
What will replace racial preferences in college admissions?
Based on yesterday's oral arguments, the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority appears likely to reject race-based affirmative...
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