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'D' is for 'didn't show up or do the work'
“You’ll have a kid who does nothing for the whole semester, and then last two weeks of May or June, they’ll do a couple assignments and...

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 4, 20231 min read


U.S. schools devalue academics, celebrate failure
Are you excessively cheerful? Did you turn your frown upside down and now it's stuck that way? David Steiner will remove your...

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 28, 20233 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...

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 26, 20231 min read


Trouble with teachers: Why there's no post-Covid rebound
A crisis in classroom teaching quality is forcing school systems to "abandon once-ambitious student recovery plans," concludes a report...

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 26, 20232 min read


Chaos: I tried to teach for America, and I failed
"Too many teachers mistake the generally sound advice to not provide a stand off with a student during class with "don't assert authority...

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 18, 20233 min read


Doing more of what wasn't working won't help kids catch up
"If we really want to narrow gaps and make up for pandemic-related learning loss, we need to change what and how we teach -- especially...

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 13, 20231 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...

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 7, 20232 min read


Set a bot to monitor a bot: Is the TA hallucinating?
Are two bots better than one? Georgia Tech is hoping its old-tech AI tutoring bot will keep its new-tech AI chatbot from "hallucinating,"...

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 28, 20232 min read


What does the green light on the dock mean? Ask Gatsby
"Persona chatbots" emerging on platforms like Character.AI can let students talk to James Madison about the U.S. Constitution, writes...

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 28, 20232 min read


Mississippi rules in reading
Mississippi students used to rank dead last in learning, writes Phil Bryant, the former governor of the state, on Real Clear Education....

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 27, 20232 min read


Ya gotta believe in 'the other CRT' if you want to teach
"Culturally relevant teaching" has spread rapidly, but it's getting some push back, writes Michael Torres on City Journal. "Families,...

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 21, 20232 min read


'It's heartbreaking to realize I never taught my students to read'
Hoping to share her love of reading, Bridget Scanlan became an "intervention" teacher working with struggling readers and special-ed...

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 20, 20232 min read


38% of ed schools get 'F' in prepping teachers to teach reading
Thirty-eight percent of teacher-education programs are failing to prepare future teachers to teach reading using the most effective...

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 20, 20232 min read


Finland's secret: Teachers teach
Finland has become a mecca for miracle-seeking educators, writes Sam Chaltain on Letters from the Future (of Learning). Teaching is an...

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 1, 20231 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...

Joanne Jacobs
May 26, 20232 min read


School of bullies
Sometimes students misbehave -- not because their needs haven't been met or their teachers aren't sufficiently sensitive to their culture...

Joanne Jacobs
May 18, 20232 min read


We can't 'replace academic mastery with critical thinking about nothing in particular'
The American education system has turned away from academics and lost its way, says David Steiner, executive director of the Institute...

Joanne Jacobs
May 17, 20231 min read


This time it isn't hype: How AI will change education
Like the web browser and the smartphone, AI will transform society, writes John Bailey on The 74. It's not quite there yet, but it's...

Joanne Jacobs
May 14, 20232 min read


Red, green, yellow, blue: Write a thesis, show it's true
The 3-3-3 paragraph had a thesis sentence with a "subject and attitude," supported by three topic sentences, each of which was supported...

Joanne Jacobs
May 10, 20231 min read


It's 'our fault' Johnny and Juanita can't read, says NYC chancellor
New York City's public schools have been teaching reading badly for decades, ignoring research on how children learn to read, said...

Joanne Jacobs
May 10, 20232 min read
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