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Joanne Jacobs
Aug 3, 20232 min read
How to fix higher ed: Make public college free
"Higher education is deeply screwed up," writes William Deresiewicz on Persuasion. The first step to fixing it, he argues, would be to...
13 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Aug 2, 20232 min read
College-going is down, and that could be a good thing
The U.S. could close the college readiness gap -- if the college-going rate keeps falling, writes Fordham's Michael Petrilli. Of course,...
5 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jul 30, 20232 min read
Teaching fragility: 1/5 of undergrads are 'disabled'
Colleges are disabling students, teaching them that they need not show up in class, complete assignments on time or give an oral...
10 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jul 28, 20233 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...
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Joanne Jacobs
Jul 25, 20232 min read
Focus on who gets out of poverty, not who gets into Harvard
Obsessing over who gets into elite colleges and universities is an odd preoccupation for progressives, argues Francisco Toro on...
7 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jul 20, 20231 min read
The path to nursing starts in 9th grade
Girls from lower-income families all want to be nurses, the community college dean told me. Few make it. They fail the science and math...
5 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jul 20, 20232 min read
Class of '23 has high hopes -- $84,855 -- for post-college pay
Gen Z college students are clueless about the workforce, according to a survey conducted in March, writes Jaime Dunaway-Seale for Real...
3 comments

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 7, 20231 min read
'Data science' closes STEM doors, professors warn
"Data science" classes don't prepare students for college-level math, science or engineering courses, say University of California...
2 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jun 29, 20232 min read
Leaving college for a factory job gave me dignity, security and opportunity
The U.S. Supreme Court is about to rule on whether President Joe Biden has the authority to forgive up to $20,000 in student loans by...
0 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jun 9, 20232 min read
Inside the frog: Is VR learning for real?
Cleveland students are using virtual and augmented reality to learn about frogs from the inside out, report Carmen Blackwell, Susan...
5 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jun 8, 20231 min read
Should I go to college? Class of '23 worries about costs, feels less prepared
The Class of '23 missed the last part of ninth grade, and many missed chunks of 10th and 11th grade as well. Forty-two percent say...
8 comments


Joanne Jacobs
May 11, 20233 min read
Set up to fail: In real life, you've got to show up and do the work
"Equitable grading" is supposed to be fairer to students who have trouble completing homework, getting to school on time and studying for...
7 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Apr 22, 20232 min read
Higher ed's future: Microcredentials?
Microcredentials, which certify completion of short-term training in marketable skills, are the "new new thing in higher education,"...
1 comment

Joanne Jacobs
Apr 16, 20232 min read
Should teens work more?
Desperate for entry-level workers, employers are pushing states to ease child-labor laws to let teenagers work longer hours, at younger...
8 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Apr 11, 20231 min read
Who gets tech internships?
"Big tech" internships offer excellent pay, challenging work and valuable networking opportunities, writes Natasha Singer in the New York...
5 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Apr 11, 20232 min read
Feds fund college, neglect job training
College isn't worth the cost, say 56 percent of of respondents -- 60 percent among 18- to 34-year-olds -- in a a new Wall Street Journal...
4 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Apr 7, 20232 min read
Dreams are lost in the community college 'maze'
Community college was "a weird maze," recalls Santos Enrique Camara, who'd hoped to study audio engineering at Washington's Shoreline...
3 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Apr 6, 20231 min read
Educating for adulthood
Americans have fallen out of love with college degrees, writes Jenny Anderson in Time. In 2019, Americans ranked “preparing for college”...
1 comment


Joanne Jacobs
Apr 6, 20232 min read
What's the purpose of high school?
Teaching "self-sufficiency and competence" should be the goal of high school -- not merely college prep -- writes Selim Tlili, a biology...
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