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Teaching Ta-Nehisi Coates
Mary Wood is teaching Ta-Nehisi Coates' memoir, Between the World and Me, in her AP English Language and Composition class in Chapin,...

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 7, 20242 min read


Reading revolution: It's a lot more than 'back to basics'
States are jumping on the "science of reading" bandwagon, writes Sarah Schwartz for Education Week. New York, Massachusetts, Indiana,...

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 2, 20242 min read


Teachers are fed up with student misbehavior, classroom chaos
The "new normal" of student behavior -- a toxic mix of disrespect, disruption, violence and apathy -- is driving teachers to despair,...

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 24, 20243 min read


Beyond decoding: Teaching knowledge, vocabulary builds comprehension
In Portage, Michigan, fourth graders are reading about hurricanes -- including words such as "atmosphere" -- in their English Language...

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 17, 20242 min read


Do teachers learn how to teach reading? 19 states are 'weak' or worse
There will be no reading "miracles" without effective teachers, warns the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) in a new report....

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 16, 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


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


Choice, selective schools perpetuate 'inequity,' says Chicago mayor, school board
"Equality in misery" is the new plan for Chicago Public Schools, writes Paul Vallas, who lost the race for mayor to Brandon Johnson, a...

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 18, 20232 min read


Training teachers in 'science of reading' improves reading
Low-performing California schools improved third-graders' reading by training teachers in how children learn to read, according to a new...

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 8, 20231 min read


'P' is for propaganda
Let's dump the curriculum and teach Palestinian propaganda instead, said a group of Oakland (CA) teachers. They proposed an all-day...

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 4, 20232 min read


Practice makes better
How do get to Carnegie Hall? Practice! It's the same for math, writes Holly Korbey on Edutopia. “They are considered dirty words, but...

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 1, 20231 min read


'Fast learners' started out ahead
There are no fast learners, according to new research, writes Hechinger's Jill Barshay. Learning rates are remarkably similar --...

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 1, 20232 min read


True or false? Credible or cockamamie?
California teachers are supposed to incorporate "media literacy" into lessons in history, English, science and math, reports Saleen...

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 30, 20232 min read


AI tutors will help motivated students, but . . .
"Motivated learners" will be able to "substitute AI for human tutors and teachers," predict Sean Geraghty and Mike Goldstein, co-leaders...

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 24, 20232 min read


Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat Internet memes
"America's K-12 education system is uniquely ill-suited to help students make sense of complicated world events and navigate contentious...

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 15, 20233 min read


What is the right balance between ingredients and cake?
What's the right balance between teaching knowledge and teaching skills? That's the wrong question, writes Daisy Christodoulou on No More...

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 14, 20232 min read


A-F grades don't provide enough useful feedback, say educators
Only 13 percent of teachers say A-F grades are "very effective" in giving useful feedback to students, writes Alyson Klein in Education...

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 9, 20231 min read


Teachers know little about how students learn
My teacher preparation program in the late '90s "never talked about how kids learn," writes M-J Mercanti-Anthony, the principal of a New...

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 8, 20231 min read


To kill 'To Kill a Mockingbird'
Ninth-graders aren't reading To Kill a Mockingbird this year in Mukilteo, Washington, an affluent, mostly white town north of Seattle. ...

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 6, 20232 min read


Mom knows everything: Apps let parents track kids' schoolwork -- and drive them crazy
If only parents were involved in their children's education, teachers said, students would do so much better. If only teachers...

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 5, 20232 min read
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