Joanne Jacobs
Advanced math puts all achievers on path to equity, excellence
All high achievers should be placed in challenging math classes that prepare them to take algebra in eighth grade, write Brenda Berg and...
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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 6, 20232 min read
Math disaster in college: Would-be STEM majors can't add 1/2 + 1/3
After a year of remote algebra, Diego Fonseca struggled with advanced algebra. Despite a week at George Mason University's Math Boot...
44 comments
Joanne Jacobs
Sep 6, 20232 min read
Students aren't bouncing back in math
Math skills fell during "remote education" and many students aren't bouncing back, reports an education reporting collaborative in a...
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Joanne Jacobs
Aug 28, 20232 min read
More students are in 'big, big trouble' in reading, math, and they're not catching up
Students are learning again, but most are not catching up for learning lost during the pandemic, conclude three new reports comparing...
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Joanne Jacobs
Jul 27, 20233 min read
Traumatizing math students
There's no evidence that "trauma-deformed pedagogy" (oops, "informed") helps students learn more, writes Max Eden, an American Enterprise...
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Joanne Jacobs
Jul 26, 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...
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Joanne Jacobs
Jul 19, 20231 min read
$1.7 trillion in college debt is 'mostly unrepayable'
Even if President Biden is able to figure some student loans, most of the $1.7 trillion in college debt will not be repaid -- ever, write...
14 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
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 24, 20232 min read
Summer school is open, but will students who need it most show up?
This will be the last year of Covid-funded summer school before the pandemic relief money runs out, writes Jo Napolitano on The 74. Some...
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Joanne Jacobs
Jun 22, 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...
4 comments
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 7, 20233 min read
Charters are outperforming traditional public schools
Charter schools are outperforming traditional public schools, according to a new study by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes...
13 comments
Joanne Jacobs
May 31, 20231 min read
At 91, math teacher isn't ready to retire
After 63 years of teaching high school math in Alexandria, Virginia, Lou Kokonis isn't planning to retire. The 91-year-old comes early to...
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Joanne Jacobs
May 31, 20232 min read
Don't make math harder than it needs to be
Struggle is supposed to be good for math students, writes Greg Ashman on Filling the Pail. Telling them how to solve problems is supposed...
11 comments
Joanne Jacobs
May 26, 20232 min read
No-tell teaching: Figure it out for yourself, kid
A leprechaun has two pots of gold, each with 10 coins in it, plus three extra coins. How many coins does he have in all? Some...
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Joanne Jacobs
May 19, 20232 min read
Students don't learn more from a same-race teacher
Elementary students don't learn more from a teacher who matches them in race or ethnicity, concludes a new study. There is little...
5 comments
Joanne Jacobs
May 17, 20231 min read
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...
3 comments
Joanne Jacobs
May 9, 20232 min read
Why kids need to know 3 x 9 = 27
The ninth-grader needed to multiple 3 x 9 to answer an algebra problem. She didn't have a calculator, and I wouldn't let her go look for...
9 comments
Joanne Jacobs
May 7, 20232 min read
Evanston High backs off on segregated math classes
I'm so old I remember when segregation was considered a bad thing. Evanston Township High (ETHS), just north of Chicago, created...
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