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Joanne Jacobs
Feb 162 min read
In a 'boy-friendly' school, boys get more time to play, socialize, choose activities
To be more "boy-friendly," a Baltimore boys' school added free play, student-run clubs and chances to socialize before classes start.
17 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Feb 22 min read
Keep it simple: Attention must be paid
How do teachers get the attention of easily distracted "digital natives?"
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Joanne Jacobs
Dec 3, 20242 min read
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...
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Joanne Jacobs
Nov 25, 20242 min read
Teaching shouldn't be 'guess what's in my head'
Explicit teaching works better than student-centered learning.
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Joanne Jacobs
Nov 18, 20243 min read
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.
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Joanne Jacobs
Nov 8, 20242 min read
How to lose: Parents don't want kids to see blowjobs in library books
"A lot of Americans have kids in public schools," writes Eduwonk Andrew Rotherham. " They want normal ." They don't want sexualized...
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Joanne Jacobs
Nov 1, 20242 min read
Democrats take over school board, but books stay 'banned'
When a Pennsylvania school board flipped from Republican to Democratic control, some policies changed -- but many did not.
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Joanne Jacobs
Sep 23, 20242 min read
Books are too long and boring, say English teachers
When I was in school in the '60s, we read Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights , Great Expectations, Hard Times, Canterbury Tales, The...
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Joanne Jacobs
Aug 4, 20243 min read
Once, girls were excited to grow up
Once upon a time, the teenage girls in Judy Blume's stories were "excited to grow up," writes Kat Rosenfield on The Free Press. Starting...
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Joanne Jacobs
Jun 22, 20242 min read
Politicizing humanities leaves grads still seeking deep, impractical learning
Colleges have politicized the humanities, leaving graduates feeling cheated of a liberal arts education.
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Joanne Jacobs
Jun 10, 20242 min read
Why is 'Gender Queer' in the middle-school library?
Parents don't want drag queens or books that feature sex toys in school libraries.
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Joanne Jacobs
Apr 7, 20241 min read
Magic worlds
The Rabbit Hole, a children's literature museum in Kansas City, sounds like a wonderful place. Children can explore "scenes from beloved...
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Joanne Jacobs
Mar 31, 20242 min read
Mamma mia! Is raising kids too hard?
I was born at the peak of the baby boom, the second of four children. (Today is my birthday.) Most of us weren't planned, but we were...
7 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Mar 29, 20243 min read
A 'Colorblind America' sees race, but tries to treat people the same
"Anti-racism" is a kind of "neo-racism," argues Coleman Hughes in his new book, The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind...
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Joanne Jacobs
Mar 20, 20242 min read
Lowering expectations doesn't lead to 'equity'
It's easier to get A's and harder to get an education, writes Fordham's Michael Petrilli. Expectations started falling and grades...
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Joanne Jacobs
Mar 16, 20242 min read
Teach the children: 'Is the Soviet Union a country?'
Teaching is "oppressive." Teachers should "guide" students to discover things on their own, based on their interests, but shouldn't...
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Joanne Jacobs
Feb 25, 20242 min read
'I want the library to be there for everyody, not just people who share my voting record'
When a patron donated a book questioning "the transgender craze" to the Blue Hill Public Library, librarian Rich Boulet decided "it...
1 comment


Joanne Jacobs
Feb 23, 20242 min read
Odysseus so white
English teachers at Oakland's College Preparatory School, one of the most expensive private schools in California, have "let go" of...
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Joanne Jacobs
Feb 23, 20241 min read
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...
11 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Feb 19, 20242 min read
Why Joe College can't read
College students have trouble reading anything long or complex, complains Adam Kotsko, in Slate. He's taught humanities classes in small...
5 comments
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