top of page


What about math? Schools focus on reading, not so much on math
Many schools are training teachers, hiring tutors and changing curricula to improve reading instruction, writes Holly Korey on The 74....

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 22, 20242 min read


'Literacy liberators' are as effective as teachers in tutoring early readers
An Oakland parent group hired and trained tutors from the community to work with early readers, reports Linda Jacobson on The 74....

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 8, 20231 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


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


Tutors for toddlers: Crazy parents will raise crazy kids
"The race to the Ivy League starts early," writes Asia Grace in the New York Post. Affluent parents are hiring tutors for their toddlers...

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 12, 20232 min read


Why so many parents mistrust schools: They didn't teach our kids to read
"When schools fail to teach reading, it harms the public's trust in schools," writes Kendra Hurley in Slate. Her children's Brooklyn...

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 17, 20232 min read


You want equity? Teach more -- not less
The foolish idea that teaching kids less math will advance "equity" has spread from California, which has adopted watered-down guidelines...

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 21, 20232 min read


Why I won't hire a tutor for my daughter
Alina Adams' daughter didn't learn any Spanish in ninth-grade Spanish 1. Her New York City school couldn't find a permanent teacher, so...

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 11, 20231 min read


Good news in Tennessee
Tennessee's focus on tutoring and summer school is paying off, report Marta W. Aldrich and Kae Petrin on Chalkbeat. Scores are up for the...

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 3, 20231 min read


Set a bot to monitor a bot: Is the TA hallucinating?
Are two bots better than one? Georgia Tech is hoping its old-tech AI tutoring bot will keep its new-tech AI chatbot from "hallucinating,"...

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 28, 20232 min read


Schools pair virtual teacher with in-person 'learning coach'
The geometry teacher is in Maryland. The students are in California. A small San Jose charter school is using virtual teachers and...

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 1, 20232 min read


Chicago invests in small-group tutors, while LA shifts to classroom teachers
Chicago Public Schools are relying on "academic interventionists" to help students catch up in reading and math, reports Mila Koumpilova...

Joanne Jacobs
May 30, 20232 min read


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
May 18, 20232 min read


This time it isn't hype: How AI will change education
Like the web browser and the smartphone, AI will transform society, writes John Bailey on The 74. It's not quite there yet, but it's...

Joanne Jacobs
May 14, 20232 min read


Grades and grad rates rise, and that's not good news
Grades are up! Graduation rates are rising! But that's not good news. Test scores are down, across the country, writes Hechinger's Jill...

Joanne Jacobs
Apr 3, 20232 min read


Many students need tutoring, but few are getting it
Intensive tutoring is the best way to help students who suffered learning setbacks during the pandemic, but school districts are...

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 20, 20232 min read
bottom of page