top of page


Just teach us, say students: Explain the math or science so we can understand it
Teenagers want teachers to explain STEM subjects. Few care about working in groups or seeing examples that reflect their race or gender.

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 41 min read
7 comments


DEI buzzwords trigger huge cuts in STEM ed research
DOGE has ordered $773 million in cuts to STEM education research.

Joanne Jacobs
May 182 min read
0 comments


Honors for none
"De-laning" -- dropping honors classes at Silicon Valley high schools -- is "an assault on excellence," tweets liberal Democratic congressman in California.

Joanne Jacobs
May 142 min read
7 comments


Following the junk science: How a health crisis became an educational disaster
While millions of European children were in school -- mostly unmasked -- U.S. policymakers ignored the science, suppressed dissent and kept schools closed.

Joanne Jacobs
Apr 232 min read
3 comments


DEI double take
Columbia researchers say they're losing federal grants for DEI language that they were required to add by the Biden administration.

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 232 min read
1 comment


Silicon Valley runs on Asian tech talent: 66% of workers are immigrants
Two-thirds of Silicon Valley tech workers are immigrants: Half were born in Asia.

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 151 min read
3 comments


UK will teach diverse, non-Western science
Britain's Labour Party plans to make science teaching less Western-centric and relax standards so lessons are more "enjoyable."

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 31 min read
1 comment


Return of the nerds: US should honor mathletes as much as athletes
Honor mathletes and science fair winners or plan to import a lot of high-tech immigrants.

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 22 min read
3 comments


'Multilevel classes' aren't equitable or excellent, say teachers
Mixing high-achieving, average and low-achieving students in the same class was a noble experiment, writes Ryan Normandin, a high school...

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 11, 20242 min read
0 comments


U.S. math scores show 'devastating' decline
U.S. students are doing much worse in math, while some other countries are improving.

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 5, 20242 min read
7 comments


It takes a teacher: Many students won't 'discover' science on their own
You'd think that science educators would "follow the science" about what works for students, writes Holly Korbey on The Bell Ringer. But...

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 25, 20242 min read
5 comments


Yale wants science profs to 'promote DEI through teaching'
"Diversity" statements are out for job applicants at MIT: Would-professors won't have to pledge their loyalty to Diversity Equity and...

Joanne Jacobs
May 27, 20242 min read
2 comments


Schools in England will teach 'biological sex' -- not 'gender spectrum'
Schools in England will not teach students about "gender identity," under a new government draft guidance, reports Andrew McDonald for...

Joanne Jacobs
May 17, 20242 min read
0 comments


Teachers aren't unhappy or underpaid
Most teachers like teaching, enjoy the flexible work schedule, live comfortably and are no more likely to quit their profession than...

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 26, 20241 min read
4 comments


Core Knowledge students learn more -- a lot more
Students taught a structured, knowledge-rich curriculum starting in kindergarten earned higher reading, math and science scores in third...

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 15, 20241 min read
1 comment


Teaching science and social studies improves reading (and math)
After a long battle to persuade educators they need to teach phonics, systematically and explicitly, the science of reading has moved on...

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 12, 20242 min read
3 comments


'For All Mankind' celebrates courage, competence, resilience
I'm a fan of the Apple+ series For All Mankind, which imagines an alternative reality in which the Soviet Union reaches the moon first,...

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 29, 20242 min read
1 comment


Math crisis is global: US teens do worse on PISA, but so do others
The bad news from international testing: U.S. 15-year-olds did significantly worse in math from 2018 to 2022 on the Program for...

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 6, 20232 min read
1 comment


Geology is 'rock heavy,' light on queer BIPOC mentors
Geology is "rock heavy," complained a geology major in a recent survey, reports Daniel Nuccio on College Fix. Classes are very light on...

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 21, 20231 min read
5 comments


Inside the frog: Is VR learning for real?
Cleveland students are using virtual and augmented reality to learn about frogs from the inside out, report Carmen Blackwell, Susan...

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 9, 20232 min read
5 comments
bottom of page