Joanne Jacobs
It's a school, not a mental-health clinic
School-based mental health programs don't improve mental health or academic outcomes, concludes an analysis of the research by Carolyn D....
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Joanne Jacobs
Aug 262 min
Who's the best teacher? 'Good with kids' trumps knowing the subject
Principals prefer "engaging" teachers over those who are good at instruction but not classroom management.
Joanne Jacobs
Aug 153 min
The anti-anxiety experiment: Friends without phones, adult-free camping
British mother persuaded teens to go smartphone-free for a month, then camp out for the weekend on their own.
Joanne Jacobs
Jul 241 min
Post-Covid kids are unfocused, poorly behaved and -- surprise! -- learning less
Student behavior hasn't recovered from the pandemic, says a federal survey of public schools.
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 72 min
The race is not always to the swift when kids play SEL sportyball
Do coaches need a "social and emotional learning" curriculum to mentor student-athletes?
Joanne Jacobs
May 251 min
You may already be a loser!
American kids have too much self-esteem, argues Bill Maher.
Joanne Jacobs
May 112 min
Teaching depression: Mental health programs can make students feel worse
Mental health awareness campaigns aimed at teenagers may backfire, writes Ellen Barry in the New York Times. While the truly troubled may...
Joanne Jacobs
May 32 min
Can't be bothered: Kids are absent from everything, not just school
Chronic absenteeism is way up, writes Robert Pondiscio, but kids aren't just absent from school. A disturbing number of young people are...
Joanne Jacobs
Mar 172 min
Happy habits: Get out of your head and your house
California wants its citizens to be happy, reports Lynn La on Cal Matters. The Legislature, which once made "self-esteem" a running joke...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 293 min
If you want to climb a mountain, don't go two steps and ask, 'How do I feel?'
Nearly all public schools offer some type of counseling, mental health or "wellness" lessons, writes Abigail Shrier in Free Press. But...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 122 min
A reform too far: Sorry, your kid's only 67% of a 'whole child'
Liam sat through a semester of geometry and got a C for turning in homework, earning a 75 percent average on tests and bringing in...
Joanne Jacobs
Oct 22, 20231 min
How to say you're sorry -- not 'sorry, you misunderstood me ... '
Rayna Freedman, who teaches fifth grade in Massachusetts, teachers her students how to apologize, reports Kara Newhouse for KQED's...
Joanne Jacobs
Sep 25, 20232 min
Schools spend $20 billion a year for equity training, but does it work?
Public schools spend billions on equity training, but have no idea what works, writes Katherine Reynolds Lewis in USA Today. "None of the...
Joanne Jacobs
Sep 1, 20233 min
Sympathy for the disruptor
A student walks into class 10 minutes late and yells, "What's up, bitches?" What's a teacher to do? To cope with a rising tide of student...
Joanne Jacobs
Aug 7, 20232 min
'We took care of our kids' -- but they lost a year in reading, math
Juab School District in Utah focused on supporting students emotionally when schools reopened in fall of 2020. “We took care of our...
Joanne Jacobs
Aug 1, 20232 min
Take a deep breath: NYC schools will spend $31,434 per student
New York City schools are spending more while enrolling fewer students, reports Kristina Watrobski for Crisis in the Classroom. Since...
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 5, 20232 min
Out-of-control students, overwhelmed teachers
Student misbehavior is driving teachers crazy -- and out of teaching write Leslie Bienen, a health policy consultant, and Christina...
Joanne Jacobs
May 18, 20232 min
My students are 'broken kids I cannot fix'
Teachers on Reddit are sharing horror stories of their students' emotional, social and academic melt downs, screen addictions and apathy....
Joanne Jacobs
Apr 4, 20233 min
Without the jargon, 'social-emotional learning' means ...
Social-emotional learning means "teaching kids to be nice to one another and to be nice to themselves," Liz Mikitarian, a retired...
Joanne Jacobs
Mar 31, 20231 min
Back in the USA
We returned from Barcelona last night, so I'm a bit jet-lagged -- and where was my breakfast buffet this morning? -- but the blog is...
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