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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...

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 7, 20232 min read


'Algebra for none' fails in San Francisco
The goal was equity. The result: Meh. Frustrated by high failure rates in eighth-grade algebra, San Francisco Unified decided in 2015 to...

Joanne Jacobs
Apr 14, 20232 min read


Who gets tech internships?
"Big tech" internships offer excellent pay, challenging work and valuable networking opportunities, writes Natasha Singer in the New York...

Joanne Jacobs
Apr 11, 20231 min read


Anti-merit push is alienating Asian voters
Democrats are losing Asian-American voters, writes Ruy Teixeira on Liberal Patriot. Asians, like Hispanics, are not radicals, he writes....

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 20, 20231 min read


1 classroom, 5 achievement levels: The learning chasm
Trying to teach students who are way above and way below grade level in the same classroom puts an impossible burden on teachers, reports...

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 7, 20232 min read


Algebra: Gateway or barrier?
“What is so magical about algebra as a math requirement?” asked Eloy Ortiz Oakley, former chancellor of California’s community college...

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 23, 20232 min read


Mediocrity for all isn't equity
In Culver City (CA), ninth- and tenth-grade honors classes were eliminated, reports Sara Randazzo in the Wall Street Journal. Officials...

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 23, 20231 min read


Open doors to challenging academics
Challenging classes can help many students -- not just the "gifted" -- excel, writes Vincent Dotoli on Fordham's Flypaper. He heads...

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 23, 20231 min read


'Diversity training' costs billions, but does it work?
There's no evidence diversity training works and some evidence it hurts, writes Jesse Singal in a New York Times commentary. The...

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 22, 20232 min read


'Merit' is not the antonym of 'equity'
Four more Virginia high schools failed to tell students they'd won a National Merit commendation, at least not in time to list the honor...

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 16, 20232 min read


Employer: Don't tell us where you went to college
Rick Singer was sentenced to 42 months in prison this week for helping wealthy parents bribe and scam their children's way into...

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 6, 20232 min read


No critical race theory? No student teachers
A California ed school won’t send student teachers to a nearby school district that has banned critical race theory, reports Jill...

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 24, 20221 min read


Woke charters stress 'anti-racism,' but parents want excellence
Urban parents' vision of a good school hasn't changed, writes Robert Pondiscio on Education Next. They want "safety, solid academics,...

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 14, 20222 min read


Public schools are losing white, middle-class students
Urban school districts are losing students, writes Matt Welch, a public school parent in New York City, in Reason. White, middle-class...

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 4, 20222 min read


Is 'equity' the enemy of excellence?
The "exodus of families from traditional public-school districts is a warning message," writes Jessica Levin on EdPost. Focusing...

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 4, 20223 min read
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