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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 21, 20242 min read


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...

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 5, 20242 min read


If minority parents choose a charter, that's not 'resegregation'
Parents should be able to choose a public school that meets their children's academic needs and their family's values, writes Debbie...

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 26, 20242 min read


The rise of MEI: merit, excellence and intelligence
Will MEI -- merit, excellence and intelligence -- replace DEI?

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 18, 20242 min read


UCLA med school puts 'diversity' first, sees failure rates soar
UCLA has become a"failed medical school" because it "cut corners" to achieve racial diversity, a former admissions staffer says. Failure...

Joanne Jacobs
May 28, 20242 min read


Democrats care about equality, but not education, say voters
Black and Hispanic parents may switch from Biden to Trump. Democrats value equality but don't deliver on quality, they say.

Joanne Jacobs
May 18, 20242 min read


Don't trust the speech police
Jews must defend free speech, including hate speech against Jews, argues an editorial in Tablet, a Jewish publication. Jews "have an...

Joanne Jacobs
May 8, 20242 min read


Minnesota adopts woke-centric social studies standards
Minnesota have approved "the most ideologically progressive and intellectually vapid social studies standards in America," writes Max...

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 27, 20242 min read


Uncredentialed teachers do as well as normally trained teachers
"Emergency" teachers hired during the pandemic seem to have been just as effective as credentialed teachers with similar experience,...

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 16, 20242 min read


Teaching the Chinese Exclusion Act won't end anti-Asian bias
California students will learn more about Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history in hopes of preventing racism and hate,...

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 12, 20241 min read


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
Jan 9, 20241 min read


The new Irish: Hispanics are upwardly mobile Americans
Hispanic immigrants are a lot like Irish immigrants who came to American in the 1800s, writes Noah Smith. They are working-class folks...

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 7, 20242 min read


Culturally relevant math: If Cardi B owns $500K in handbags ...
Math achievement is very low for black students. Can "culturally relevant" math problems -- such as analyzing a hip-hop star's purse...

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 29, 20232 min read


Charters are growing: Latino enrollment is way up
As district-run public schools lose enrollment -- 1.5 million students since 2019 -- charter schools are adding students, according to a...

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 20, 20231 min read


Portland will consider race, gender to 'support' disruptive students
Portland (OR) schools will design "support plans" for disruptive students that consider trauma, race, gender identity/presentation and...

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 7, 20232 min read


'White flight' from overachieving Asians?
A "B" grade is an "Asian F" and a "white A," they used to say in Silicon Valley high schools. Maybe they still do, if they have enough...

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 2, 20232 min read


Segregation now: Evanston High offers all-black and all-Latino classes
Black students can opt to take all-black classes -- with a black teachers -- in math and writing at Evanston Township High School near...

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 28, 20232 min read


Ivy dreams, but what's realistic?
"Safe to say Harvard is out," Demar Goodman, who's black, told a friend when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected race-based college...

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 22, 20232 min read


When inclusion isn't enough: The new buzzword is 'belonging'
"Belonging" has joined "diversity," "equity" and "inclusion" (and sometimes "access") as the newest buzzword on college campuses, writes ...

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 21, 20232 min read


Rejected by 16 colleges, 18-year-old takes Google job: Yes, he's Asian
Stanley Zhong earned nearly perfect grades (3.97 unweighted, 4.42 weighted) and SAT scores (1590 out of 1600). He founded his own...

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 11, 20231 min read
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