top of page


'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


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


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


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


Beyond fat cats on mats: Knowledge closes the learning gap
Teaching phonics is a critical first step in teaching reading, but students need to build knowledge and vocabulary to get from fat cats...

Joanne Jacobs
Apr 12, 20232 min read


From wombats to koalas: Does knowledge 'transfer' for young readers?
"Chatty Chick chats in church" in a poem used by reading tutors. Last year, the second grader I was tutoring was shocked at Chatty...

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 2, 20232 min read


Scientists, engineers, chefs, gardeners become freelance teachers
An ecosystem of innovative schools and teaching specialists is growing in South Florida's Broward County, writes Ron Matus on ReimaginED....

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 12, 20232 min read
Climate ed in PE, art . . . ?
New Jersey teachers are teaching about climate change in all grade levels and subjects, writes Caroline Preston on the Hechinger Report. ...

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 22, 20222 min read


NYU fires tough chem prof, raises complainers' grades
Would-be doctors have to get through organic chemistry, a tough class that can be a dream killer. When NYU pre-meds earned poor grades...

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 5, 20223 min read


They passed calculus, but can't add fractions
Alex Small, who teaches physics at Cal Poly Pomona, keeps seeing students who passed calculus in high school, but aren't prepared for...

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 20, 20222 min read


The smart get smarter
In the ten years before the pandemic, high achievers did better in math and reading while everyone else slid, writes Fordham's Michael...

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 1, 20222 min read


Science teachers: Don’t say ‘parent’
Who are these people? Photo: Serrano1004/Pixabay Don’t say “parent,” advises a feature article in the National Science Teaching...

Joanne Jacobs
May 23, 20221 min read
Good Idea, or Watering Down Science Class Even More?
From the major Sacramento newspaper: Dissecting frogs and cats — a common assignment for kids in California biology classes — could soon...

Joanne Jacobs
May 1, 20191 min read


How to win a Nobel Prize
Science is all about the posters, reports The Onion. STOCKHOLM—Anxiously awaiting critiques from the judges, the world’s leading...

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 6, 20181 min read
Young scientists
Science Fair, a documentary about teenage competitors in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, is “unfailingly charming,”...

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 22, 20181 min read


Girls call STEM come-ons ‘creepy’
Teen-age girls are groomed for the STEM lifestyle in summer coding camps. “With responses ranging from “squirming in discomfort” to...

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 13, 20181 min read


STEM is for C students too, says report
Young people can succeed in technical jobs even with mediocre grades in math and science or liberal arts majors, claims a new study, on...

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 13, 20182 min read


Middle school to manufacturing
Middle-schoolers in Ohio are learning math, science and programming — and competing in contests such as MakerMinded to expose them to...

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 10, 20182 min read


Even confident, capable girls don’t study STEM
Girls who are high achievers in math, and confident about their ability, are less likely to major in math, engineering and science than...

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 22, 20181 min read


Equality widens STEM’s gender gap
In gender-equal Norway and Finland, 20 percent of college graduates in science, engineering and math are women, compared to 41 percent in...

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 21, 20181 min read
bottom of page