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Joanne Jacobs
Jan 31 min read
California tells schools: Go easy on homework
A new California law urges school to set homework policies that ease stress and promote "equity."
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Joanne Jacobs
Aug 27, 20243 min read
The Passover ploy: How to hide ethnic studies curriculum from pesky Jews
School district officials discussed holding board meetings on Jewish holidays to keep the ethnic studies curriculum "under the radar."
4 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Aug 2, 20242 min read
Silicon Valley parents push back on ethnic studies
Parents want to know what will be taught in soon-to-be-mandatory ethnic studies class.
5 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jun 20, 20242 min read
It's time to dump 'ethnic studies' mandates
Ethnic studies will be offered in all California high schools by the 2025-26 school year, and will be a graduation requirement by 2030,...
6 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jun 13, 20242 min read
Ready to teach? Unions fight tests, assessments for new teachers
Teachers' unions don't like skills or knowledge tests for teachers -- unless everyone passes. They're too stressful. They're not aligned...
10 comments


Joanne Jacobs
May 13, 20241 min read
College is a good bet -- with financial aid -- for lower-income CA students
Earning a degree at a California community college or state university is a good bet for students from low- and moderate-income families,...
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Joanne Jacobs
May 10, 20242 min read
California voters may require 'financial literacy' class
The banker told the college-bound students how to open a checking account, write a check, make a deposit and balance the account, and...
6 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Mar 17, 20242 min read
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...
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Joanne Jacobs
Mar 7, 20242 min read
Algebra wins big in San Francisco -- but will kids learn times tables?
San Francisco schools should offer algebra in eighth grade, said 84 percent of voters in Tuesday's election. It was a stunning rejection...
18 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Feb 21, 20242 min read
To spot 'fake news,' students need to know things
It's Media Literacy Monday in journalism class at Cupertino's Monta Vista High School, and Silicon Valley students are analyzing...
4 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Nov 17, 20232 min read
No hablo ingles? No es un problema at California community colleges
Immigrants can find classes in Spanish, Mandarin, Russian, Armenian, Korean and other languages at some California community colleges. ...
1 comment

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 7, 20231 min read
Job skills, dual enrollment boost California community colleges
Enrollment is rebounding at California's community colleges due to career programs and dual enrollment, reports Michael Burke on...
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Joanne Jacobs
Oct 15, 20232 min read
'What’s the anti-racist perspective on the atomic mass of boron?'
California's 116 community colleges, open to all at very low cost, represent the best version of diversity, equity, and inclusion, ...
5 comments

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 5, 20232 min read
'Data literacy' will widen STEM gaps
I was willing to swear a solemn vow to not major in math or science in college, I told my teacher. All I asked was to get out of trig....
13 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Sep 24, 20232 min read
Pro-trans parents won't get custody edge in California
Mom wants to start "Oliver" on puberty blockers. Dad thinks "Olivia" should go through puberty before deciding whether to be male, female...
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Joanne Jacobs
Aug 28, 20232 min read
Cover-up in California: State botched remote learning, tried to silence critics
After Oakland schools closed in March, 2020, eight-year-old Cayla J. had two remote classes. Then, according to her mother, the teacher...
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Joanne Jacobs
Aug 18, 20232 min read
California pledges $4 billion for 'community schools' -- but do students learn more?
There were high hopes for Akron's I Promise School when it opened in 2018, writes Mike Antonucci on The 74. With lots of extra funding...
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Joanne Jacobs
Aug 15, 20232 min read
Start college in 9th grade, says community college chancellor
All California high school students should be enrolled in community college courses, by default, starting in ninth grade, says Sonya...
6 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jul 14, 20232 min read
'Big ideas' aren't always good ideas
Impatience is the besetting sin of progressive education. Progressives want to skip the boring, old fundamentals -- phonics,...
3 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jul 7, 20232 min read
Equity! Equity! What about the math?
There's a lot of talk about "equity" in the latest draft of California's proposed math framework. In addition to a guarantee of...
4 comments
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