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Anti-racist math: 2 + 2 = whiteness
Apples and oranges featured heavily in my elementary school math curriculum, and yet I knew math was about the numbers, not about the...

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 29, 20232 min read


'B-flation' misleads parents: 89% say their child is at grade level
Seventy-nine percent of parents say their child is receiving mostly B's or better, and 89 percent believe their child is at or above...

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 29, 20232 min read


AP tests are tough: Is the bar too high for disadvantaged students?
"The basic philosophy of the Advanced Placement Program is simply that all students are not created equal," said the program's director,...

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 21, 20233 min read


Disarming grades
"Handwringing" about grade inflation is "inflated," suggests Valerie Strauss in the Washington Post. She offers a piece by Jack Schneider...

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 16, 20232 min read


Dumb and dumber: NY rethinks Regents exams
New York students will be able to graduate from high school without passing Regents exams, the state education department proposes....

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 16, 20232 min read


'There's got to be a pony in there'
Public schools face a long, tough road to recover from school closures and pandemic chaos, writes Fordham's Dale Chu. Post-pandemic...

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 10, 20231 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


SAT scores fall, as the number of test takers rebounds
Despite the surge in colleges going "test optional," the number of students taking the SAT "is growing back to pre-pandemic figures,"...

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 27, 20231 min read


Rich kids, smart kids
Wealthy parents raise high-scoring children, according to new SAT and ACT data, reports Claire Cain Miller in the New York Times....

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 27, 20232 min read


America needs strivers
Rewarding mediocrity is a losing strategy for America, writes Doug Lemov, author of Teach Like a Champion 3.0, on Education Next. U.S....

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 26, 20232 min read


'A' is for 'awesome,' 'awful' and 'average'
"The most popular high school grade in America" is "A," writes Tim Donahue, who teaches high school English at Greenwich Country Day...

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 25, 20232 min read


Oregon keeps grad requirements low: No need for reading, writing, math competency
Oregon won't require students to show mastery of reading, writing or math to collect a high school diploma, reports Sami Edge in The...

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 24, 20232 min read


The case for quizzes: Students learn more -- and feel less anxious
Timed tests are unpopular with progressive educators, writes Hechinger's Jill Barshay. They think they're stressful and reward the...

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 29, 20231 min read


AI will change testing: Can it grade essays?
Number 2 pencils and fill-in-the-bubble are out, writes Matteo Wong in The Atlantic. Standardized tests are going digital. In a few...

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 23, 20232 min read


Timed tests are misleading: Success is a marathon, not a sprint
The new digital SAT will take two hours, instead of three, and will give students more time to answer each question. That's a much better...

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 22, 20232 min read


Competency counts: No lectures, no mandatory classes, lots of tests
"Competency-based education," which assesses students on skills rather than seat time, is finally becoming a reality for vocational...

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 17, 20232 min read


Apprenticeship-to-degree model launches debt-free careers
How do you get a job at Goldman Sachs? In the U.S., it usually takes a degree from an elite college to get in the door. In Britain,...

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 20, 20232 min read


UK blames lenient pandemic grading for soaring college dropout rate
Earning A-levels was easier for British students during the pandemic. Passing college classes is harder. Worried by a 30 percent college...

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 15, 20231 min read


What works in teaching English (discussion) may not work in teaching math
The most effective use of class time depends on the subject, concludes a study conducted in high-poverty English high schools, reports...

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 26, 20231 min read


A 'lost generation' of learning: Scores fall, gaps widen for 13-year-olds
America's 13-year-olds are moving backwards educationally, according to a new report on long term trends by the National Assessment of...

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 22, 20231 min read
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