October - 2023

Why are Dept of Defense schools so good?

Joanne Jacobs

Oct 31, 20232 min read

Why are Dept of Defense schools so good?

The highest-scoring school district in the country isn't a school district, reports Sarah Mervosh in the New York Times. The "Defense...

17 comments

Scared of Halloween: Ghoulies, ghosties and DEI beasties

Joanne Jacobs

Oct 30, 20232 min read

Scared of Halloween: Ghoulies, ghosties and DEI beasties

Halloween has been canceled at schools in New Jersey's South Orange-Maplewood School District. No costumes, no parades, no...

2 comments

Joanne Jacobs

Oct 29, 20232 min read

Shut up, they explained

Cancel culture -- "campaigns to get people fired, disinvited, deplatformed, or otherwise punished" for dissenting from orthodox views --...

1 comment

Joanne Jacobs

Oct 28, 20231 min read

Cursive! Taught again in California

California students will be taught to write in cursive, reports NPR. A new law signed -- in cursive -- by the governor takes effect in...

11 comments

SAT scores fall, as the number of test takers rebounds

Joanne Jacobs

Oct 27, 20231 min read

SAT scores fall, as the number of test takers rebounds

Despite the surge in colleges going "test optional," the number of students taking the SAT "is growing back to pre-pandemic figures,"...

0 comments

Joanne Jacobs

Oct 27, 20232 min read

Rich kids, smart kids

Wealthy parents raise high-scoring children, according to new SAT and ACT data, reports Claire Cain Miller in the New York Times....

20 comments

Joanne Jacobs

Oct 26, 20232 min read

America needs strivers

Rewarding mediocrity is a losing strategy for America, writes Doug Lemov, author of Teach Like a Champion 3.0, on Education Next. U.S....

10 comments

'A' is for 'awesome,' 'awful' and 'average'

Joanne Jacobs

Oct 25, 20232 min read

'A' is for 'awesome,' 'awful' and 'average'

"The most popular high school grade in America" is "A," writes Tim Donahue, who teaches high school English at Greenwich Country Day...

7 comments

Oregon keeps grad requirements low: No need for reading, writing, math competency

Joanne Jacobs

Oct 24, 20232 min read

Oregon keeps grad requirements low: No need for reading, writing, math competency

Oregon won't require students to show mastery of reading, writing or math to collect a high school diploma, reports Sami Edge in The...

13 comments

'Mastery learning' means lots of testing, and choices about what's essential

Joanne Jacobs

Oct 24, 20232 min read

'Mastery learning' means lots of testing, and choices about what's essential

U.S. students should get a high school diploma when they meet state standards in core subjects, writes Checker Finn. It doesn't matter...

14 comments

To help left-behind students, get 'butts in seats'

Joanne Jacobs

Oct 23, 20232 min read

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...

5 comments

How to say you're sorry -- not 'sorry, you misunderstood me ... '

Joanne Jacobs

Oct 22, 20231 min read

How to say you're sorry -- not 'sorry, you misunderstood me ... '

Rayna Freedman, who teaches fifth grade in Massachusetts, teachers her students how to apologize, reports Kara Newhouse for KQED's...

6 comments

When inclusion isn't enough: The new buzzword is 'belonging'

Joanne Jacobs

Oct 21, 20232 min read

When inclusion isn't enough: The new buzzword is 'belonging'

"Belonging" has joined "diversity," "equity" and "inclusion" (and sometimes "access") as the newest buzzword on college campuses, writes ...

3 comments

'Smartphones are kryptonite for learning'

Joanne Jacobs

Oct 20, 20231 min read

'Smartphones are kryptonite for learning'

Schools are going phone free to remove distractions in class and encourage students to socialize in their free time, report Meg Oliver...

0 comments

Teens need shop class - not 'technology ed'

Joanne Jacobs

Oct 20, 20232 min read

Teens need shop class - not 'technology ed'

Students need to get up from their desks, away from their screens and into shop, home ec and other hands-on classes, opines Pamela Paul...

12 comments

Teens spend 4.8 hours a day on social media, says Gallup

Joanne Jacobs

Oct 19, 20232 min read

Teens spend 4.8 hours a day on social media, says Gallup

U.S. teenagers average 4.8 hours a day on social media apps such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter),...

9 comments

Repeating a grade can help elementary students succeed

Joanne Jacobs

Oct 18, 20232 min read

Repeating a grade can help elementary students succeed

Holding kids back if they're way behind in reading is very controversial, but new research shows that repeating a grade in elementary...

11 comments

You can't give 'Hop on Pop' to a 7th-grader

Joanne Jacobs

Oct 17, 20231 min read

You can't give 'Hop on Pop' to a 7th-grader

Middle schoolers who read at the first, second and third-grade level won't read "baby books" and can't read grade-level books, says...

7 comments

Why so many parents mistrust schools: They didn't teach our kids to read

Joanne Jacobs

Oct 17, 20232 min read

Why so many parents mistrust schools: They didn't teach our kids to read

"When schools fail to teach reading, it harms the public's trust in schools," writes Kendra Hurley in Slate. Her children's Brooklyn...

7 comments

'Diversity' officials widen racial gaps, harm minority students

Joanne Jacobs

Oct 16, 20231 min read

'Diversity' officials widen racial gaps, harm minority students

Hiring a "chief diversity officer" doesn't close achievement gaps, concludes an analysis by Jay P. Greene and Madison Marino of the...

6 comments