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Joanne Jacobs
May 5, 20231 min read
History, civics and reading comprehension go together
The more students know about the world, the better they can understand what they read, writes Susan Pimentel in Education Week. The...
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Joanne Jacobs
May 4, 20232 min read
Educating citizens: We can do better, but will we?
"The new National Assessment of Educational Progress civics and history results are as deplorable as they were predictable," writes...
10 comments

Joanne Jacobs
May 4, 20232 min read
40% of 8th-graders are 'below basic' in history
Eighth-graders don't know much about U.S. history and civics, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which...
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Joanne Jacobs
Apr 18, 20231 min read
Choice and common culture
We need to find a way to have school choice and to teach our "shared inheritance" as Americans, writes Fordham's Checker Finn. He worries...
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Joanne Jacobs
Apr 9, 20232 min read
You are not enough: Love thy neighbor too
"You are enough" is a popular saying, writes Katherine Boyle on The Free Press. But it's not true. Americans have lost their sense of...
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Joanne Jacobs
Feb 3, 20232 min read
It's only Schoolhouse Rock (but I like it)
I'm so old I don't know the words to Conjunction Junction. Schoolhouse Rock, animated musical shorts on grammar, history, civics,...
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Joanne Jacobs
Feb 3, 20232 min read
Teach civics -- not activism
"Fixating on activism misses the point of civics education," write Frederick M. Hess, a former civics teacher now education policy...
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Joanne Jacobs
Nov 23, 20222 min read
Blamesgiving: Public schools teach that America is 'bad and broken'
Public schools have lost touch with their mission and purpose, writes Robert Pondiscio, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise...
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Joanne Jacobs
Oct 30, 20221 min read
Serve your country to clear your student loans
Link college loans to civilian or military service, writes Steve Cohen in City Journal. "President Biden’s plan to 'forgive' student...
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Joanne Jacobs
Oct 19, 20222 min read
Fuzzy civics: Teachers don't value knowledge
I learned about separation of powers, checks and balances and the three separate and equal branches of government -- executive,...
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Joanne Jacobs
Sep 17, 20222 min read
Freedom of ... um ... uh ...
Happy Constitution Day! How many First Amendment freedoms can you name? If you get more than one, you're a civics star. Americans' civics...
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Joanne Jacobs
Sep 12, 20221 min read
Do good citizens listen to leaders?
Do "good citizens" always listen to leaders? Ilya Somin was taken aback by the worksheet his seven-year-old daughter brought home from...
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Joanne Jacobs
Sep 2, 20222 min read
We used to share a story about America, but not any more
New laws restricting how teachers can discuss "divisive issues" try "to impose a singular narrative of the United States, because —...
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Joanne Jacobs
Jul 4, 20222 min read
Celebrate US
The City of Orlando's email promoting a Fourth of July fireworks display set off fireworks of its own with a sour jape: “A lot of people...
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Joanne Jacobs
Jun 7, 20222 min read
Teens back free speech for unpopular views
U.S. high school students and their teachers agree that people should be allowed to express unpopular opinions, according to the Knight...
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Joanne Jacobs
Oct 13, 20181 min read
What should every American know?
What should every American know? Aspen’s Citizenship and American Identity program is asking. The video features four immigrants talking...
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Joanne Jacobs
Oct 3, 20181 min read
1/3 can pass U.S. citizenship test
When was the U.S. Constitution ratified? Which countries did the U.S. fight in World War II? Asked multiple-choice questions from...
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Joanne Jacobs
Sep 3, 20181 min read
Return of the hero
“We live in an era where we knock down old American heroes for all their imperfections, when no leader wants to admit to fault or...
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Joanne Jacobs
Jul 31, 20183 min read
‘Right to read’ fight shifts to California
The right to an education doesn’t include a right to literacy — yet. However, “a judge has ruled that California can be put on trial for...
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