Joanne Jacobs
New teachers 'don't understand how kids learn to read'
A majority of Wisconsin students -- about three out of five -- score below "proficient" on state tests, write Danielle DuClos and Kayla...
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Joanne Jacobs
- 1 day ago
- 2 min
Poor kids can learn to read too
Overall, family poverty and reading problems go together. But some school districts are beating the odds.
Joanne Jacobs
- Sep 5
- 1 min
Studying Swift (Taylor, not Jonathan) in school
Studying pop-song lyrics in English class doesn't prepare students for college reading or writing.
Joanne Jacobs
- Sep 5
- 2 min
$100 to read a book: This doesn't seem like a viable plan
My sixth-grade teacher wanted us to read 10 books during the school year. Whenever we read a book, we were supposed to fill out an index...
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 19
- 2 min
When high school students can't read
Angie Hackman teaches chemistry -- and reading, reports Hechinger's Julian Roberts-Grmela. Every teacher at Health Sciences High and...
Joanne Jacobs
- Aug 11
- 1 min
Back to school? It's August!
Most U.S. students will be back in class tomorrow -- it's mid-August! -- and only 15 percent will start the school year after Labor Day. ...
Joanne Jacobs
- Aug 7
- 2 min
Special ed labeling, spending soar -- but it doesn't seem to help students
Spending more on special ed doesn't lead to better outcomes. Teaching reading well does.
Joanne Jacobs
- Aug 4
- 3 min
Once, girls were excited to grow up
Once upon a time, the teenage girls in Judy Blume's stories were "excited to grow up," writes Kat Rosenfield on The Free Press. Starting...
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Monogamy is "outdated," Troubled author Rob Henderson's Yale classmate told him.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 9
- 2 min
Why boys don't read very much: They want manly courage -- not teen angst
Boys might read more if they were introduced to classic books with male heroes.
Joanne Jacobs
- Jun 22
- 2 min
Politicizing humanities leaves grads still seeking deep, impractical learning
Colleges have politicized the humanities, leaving graduates feeling cheated of a liberal arts education.
Joanne Jacobs
- Jun 21
- 2 min
Bible stories should be cultural literacy, not forbidden fruit
Teaching students about religion is fine in public schools, writes Natalie Wexler. "Inculcating specific religious beliefs" is not....
Joanne Jacobs
- Jun 10
- 2 min
Why is 'Gender Queer' in the middle-school library?
Parents don't want drag queens or books that feature sex toys in school libraries.
Joanne Jacobs
- Jun 5
- 2 min
It's cultural literacy, not Bible lessons, say Texas educators
Texas will add Bible stories and religious history to its K-5 reading curriculum.
Joanne Jacobs
- May 22
- 2 min
The great reading rethink: What does it mean?
Once students have learned phonics, what's next? Reading comprehension relies on a blend of decoding, vocabulary and general knowledge,...
Joanne Jacobs
- May 21
- 3 min
Johnny can't read, and he's not in K-3 any more
Students who don't learn to decode quickly and automatically do not improve their reading comprehension.
Joanne Jacobs
- May 20
- 2 min
If kids don't do much reading, they won't get good at it
Perhaps college students can't read long or complex texts because they didn't read many books in middle and high school, suggests...
Joanne Jacobs
- May 20
- 2 min
College students can't -- or won't -- read, say profs
Many college students don't do the work -- perhaps because they have trouble reading and understanding college-level texts.
Joanne Jacobs
- Apr 7
- 1 min
Magic worlds
The Rabbit Hole, a children's literature museum in Kansas City, sounds like a wonderful place. Children can explore "scenes from beloved...
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