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Who will lead us out of the education depression?
"We're in the midst of an "education depression," an "era of shrinking outcomes and opportunity," writes Tim Daly. From 1990 to 2013,...

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 29, 20242 min read
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Chicago to teachers: Give migrant students a 70% and pass them along
Chicago teachers say they were told to pass all migrant students, regardless of their academic skills.

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 20, 20242 min read
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Special ed is failing: With no time to meet diverse needs, teachers lower expectations
Overwhelmed by the number of students with different needs, teachers tend to lower expectations, writes veteran teacher.

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 19, 20242 min read
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After the pandemic, more students are diagnosed with special needs
Special education numbers are up.

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 19, 20242 min read
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Wisconsin lowers academic aims, adopts fuzzy labels
Wisconsin is lowering expectations for students.

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 28, 20242 min read
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College students can't -- or won't -- read, say profs
Many college students don't do the work -- perhaps because they have trouble reading and understanding college-level texts.

Joanne Jacobs
May 20, 20242 min read
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Poet X replaces Romeo: Why high school students can't read
Adam Kotsko, who teaches humanities at a small liberal arts college, finds that even his best students are unprepared to read and...

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 23, 20241 min read
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'B' is for below grade level (and chronically absent)
"Rosie" averaged an 83 in core classes and tested more than two months above grade level in fifth grade in 2019. She was absent three...

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 9, 20231 min read
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To help left-behind students, get 'butts in seats'
You can't win if you don't play. The only way to improve student achievement is to "get butts in seats," writes Jessica Grose in the New...

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 23, 20232 min read
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'Equitable grading' is racism with a smile
Students don't have to turn in assignments on time -- or at all. The minimum grade for work is 50 percent, even if the student did...

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 12, 20232 min read
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Presto chango! You're 'graduation ready'
New Jersey just doubled the percentage of students who are "graduation ready" in reading, writes Chrif Cerf, the former state...

Joanne Jacobs
May 17, 20231 min read
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