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Joanne Jacobs
2 days ago2 min read
Covid broke public schools: Let's build a 'future-ready' system
Education's "new normal" is horrifying. Let's build a new education system out of the ashes.
2 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Mar 112 min read
College and career success for all
Even college-focused charter schools are urging students to consider a range of career and post-high school options.
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Joanne Jacobs
Mar 43 min read
Dear Colleague: Do what the Ed Department wants -- or else
The Education Department has used "guidance" letters to force states, colleges and districts to spend hundreds of millions of dollars.
7 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Feb 231 min read
Asian-American computer whiz sues UC for admissions bias
The University of California is being sued by Asian-American achievers who charge racial discrimination in admissions.
5 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Feb 182 min read
'Americans got tired of being ridiculed for values like equality, color-blindness, and responsibility,' and now it's backlash time
The anti-DEI backlash is fierce, because so many people were forced to suppress their real feelings.
19 comments

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 101 min read
How do homeschoolers turn out?
Long-term homeschoolers are less likely to earn a bachelor's degree and earn less than non-homeschoolers, but they're happier.
12 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jan 212 min read
Meritocracy 2.0: Can we celebrate weird geniuses and jocks?
Can we create a merit-based society that's more than a rat race?
8 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jan 202 min read
Biden's education legacy: Lots of spending, no new ideas
Biden's education legacy: He gave schools billions to recover from the pandemic, but didn't focus on learning.
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Joanne Jacobs
Jan 112 min read
Credits for competency makes sense -- if colleges avoid the credit-recovery route
"Competency-based" education makes sense -- if students really are competent.
3 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jan 62 min read
'Give yourself a break' is bad advice: Do difficult things!
Young people need to believe they can do difficult things. Don't tell them they're fragile.
4 comments

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 20, 20241 min read
Is a college degree worth the cost? 45% say 'no'
Americans think college costs too much and want more focus on preparing students for jobs.
2 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Dec 12, 20242 min read
STEM students will face sink-or-swim calculus in California
California community colleges will require unprepared STEM majors to be placed in calculus.
4 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Dec 12, 20241 min read
If tests are optional, calculus is mandatory for aspiring students
Taking AP Calculus is almost obligatory for students applying for top colleges, even if they aren't interested in math or science majors.
1 comment


Joanne Jacobs
Dec 9, 20242 min read
Glittering prizes: Can non-elite college grads become masters of the universe?
It's college application time again. Ambitious 12th-graders are polishing their essays, wondering if mentioning their grandmother's claim...
2 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Dec 7, 20242 min read
Is DEI doomed?
University DEI programs are losing popularity on campus and off.
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Joanne Jacobs
Dec 4, 20241 min read
'Woke' (or wokeish) courses are cut from core list at Florida universities
Courses that teach identity politics or systemic racism will be electives -- not core courses -- at Florida's state universities.
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Joanne Jacobs
Dec 4, 20242 min read
The Trump 'reckoning' for higher ed: No more easy money
Colleges aren't going to like Trump's higher education agenda , predicts economist Richard K. Vedder. He's the author of the forthcoming...
1 comment


Joanne Jacobs
Nov 26, 20241 min read
A black professor leaves academia: 'Critical thinking became critical feeling'
Erec Smith, formerly a professor of rhetoric and composition, got tired of colleagues calling him "inauthentically Black" because he...
2 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Nov 26, 20241 min read
Free thinking at UATX
60 Minutes has a very positive story on the University of Austin , which admitted its first class of students this fall. Students are...
3 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Nov 24, 20242 min read
College students are young adults - not fragile children
Stop babying college students and teach them that they're living in a diverse, pluralistic democracy.
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