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How to raise reading scores: 'We taught the research-based stuff and cut the fluff'
Reading scores are rising for elementary students in New York City, Indiana, Louisiana and elsewhere as schools adopt research-backed methods.

Joanne Jacobs
3 days ago2 min read
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The middle-school reading crisis
Teachers aren't prepared for middle schoolers who can't read very well.

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 71 min read
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Don't worry. Be happy. There's no 'reading crisis' -- if we lower expectations
Lowering the definition of "proficient" reading would end the "reading crisis," writes education professor. But one-third of students are very poor readers.

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 312 min read
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Who gets the most brains for the buck? Mississippi, Texas and Florida
New York spends a lot on schools and doesn't get much for the money.

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 301 min read
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As attention spans get shorter, so does the SAT -- and soon the ACT
The SAT, and soon the ACT, are changing to cater to students with short attention spans.

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 202 min read
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Mississippi rising: Look South for progress in reading achievement
Mississippi should be a role model for the nation in how to teach reading, along with Louisiana, Tennessee and Alabama, but old stereotypes persist.

Joanne Jacobs
May 132 min read
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Don't blame parents for things they can't control
Parents can send children to school rested and ready to learn, but schools have to do their part too.

Joanne Jacobs
Apr 32 min read
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Spelling isn't obsolete: Linking sounds to letters is key to learning to read
Spelling -- linking sounds to letters -- is a key to reading fluency.

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 262 min read
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In a rustbelt city, disadvantaged students are proficient readers
Steubenville's families are struggling to make a living -- but their children are excellent readers.

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 212 min read
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He had a 3.4 GPA, but he couldn't read
Passing special-ed students along with high grades and a diploma -- but no effective instruction --doesn't do them any favors.

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 192 min read
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Charter network trains -- and pays -- parents to teach reading
A Denver charter network has trained parents to work as reading tutors.

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 171 min read
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The way back: Refocus on things schools can do
Schools need to focus on teaching academics rather than trying to end injustice or combat climate change.

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 52 min read
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Catholic schools ace NAEP
Catholic school students are one to two years ahead of public students in reading and math.

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 311 min read
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Reading, math scores are out: 'The news is not good'
Reading scores are still falling on the "nation's report card," while math scores are the same.

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 292 min read
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Atticus learns to read: Teaching phonics works
K-1 students made significant gains when teachers used UFLI Foundations, a systematic phonics and phonemic awareness program.

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 151 min read
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Most teens don't read for fun: What can teachers do?
Few teenagers read for fun regularly, and many don't read for school either, writes Natalie Wexler on Minding the Gap. We're "becoming a...

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 3, 20242 min read
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Teaching books doesn't work if students won't (or can't) read
English teachers don't teach many novels because students won't do the reading on their own.

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 18, 20243 min read
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New report cards baffle parents: What does 'emerging' mean? (Your kid can't read)
Kris is an "emerging" reader, Carlos is "extending" and Emma is "developing." Is "proficient" Pat the best reader? Nope. Parents don't...

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 28, 20242 min read
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Making money matter: More kids in special ed doesn't improve reading
Schools got $190 billion in emergency funding during the epidemic, write Marguerite Roza, director of Georgetown's Edunomics Lab, and...

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 23, 20242 min read
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Georgetown students 'have trouble staying focused on even a sonnet'
Even elite colleges don't read very much and have trouble staying focused on books.

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 2, 20242 min read
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