top of page


Why I quit teaching: Pay was OK, but not the loss of autonomy
Ben Stein quit teaching after 20 years as a teacher and coach in the West Des Moines school district, he writes on USA Today. He was...
Joanne Jacobs
Apr 2, 20242 min read
3 comments


Old school: Strict and safe is making a comeback
"Super strict schools" are "increasingly popular" in England, writes Emma Bubola in the New York Times. She focuses on Michaela, an...
Joanne Jacobs
Mar 18, 20242 min read
6 comments


'No excuses' school guru passes on: Will excellence survive?
Linda Brown, who trained hundreds of charter leaders as leader of (Building Excellent Schools (ES), has died at the age of 81. Many of...
Joanne Jacobs
Jan 24, 20242 min read
1 comment


Teachers are fed up with student misbehavior, classroom chaos
The "new normal" of student behavior -- a toxic mix of disrespect, disruption, violence and apathy -- is driving teachers to despair,...
Joanne Jacobs
Jan 24, 20243 min read
0 comments


Portland will consider race, gender to 'support' disruptive students
Portland (OR) schools will design "support plans" for disruptive students that consider trauma, race, gender identity/presentation and...
Joanne Jacobs
Dec 7, 20232 min read
17 comments


None dare call it 'behaviour'
Students in Australia report "shocking levels of classroom disruption in international surveys," and schools face "a worsening teacher...
Joanne Jacobs
Oct 6, 20231 min read
6 comments


Schools spend $20 billion a year for equity training, but does it work?
Public schools spend billions on equity training, but have no idea what works, writes Katherine Reynolds Lewis in USA Today. "None of the...
Joanne Jacobs
Sep 25, 20232 min read
6 comments


Sympathy for the disruptor
A student walks into class 10 minutes late and yells, "What's up, bitches?" What's a teacher to do? To cope with a rising tide of student...
Joanne Jacobs
Sep 1, 20233 min read
9 comments


Houston school plan: No disruptive kids in class -- and no librarians
Teachers will earn more and have "apprentices" and aides to handle mundane chores. They'll use scripted curricula instead of spending...
Joanne Jacobs
Jul 31, 20232 min read
6 comments


Chaos: I tried to teach for America, and I failed
"Too many teachers mistake the generally sound advice to not provide a stand off with a student during class with "don't assert authority...
Joanne Jacobs
Jul 18, 20233 min read
3 comments


Denver principal fired after criticizing safety policies
In March, a Denver high school student shot and injured two deans who were searching him for weapons. The student, who had a prior...
Joanne Jacobs
Jul 18, 20232 min read
1 comment


Out-of-control students, overwhelmed teachers
Student misbehavior is driving teachers crazy -- and out of teaching write Leslie Bienen, a health policy consultant, and Christina...
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 5, 20232 min read
7 comments


Students don't learn more from a same-race teacher
Elementary students don't learn more from a teacher who matches them in race or ethnicity, concludes a new study. There is little...
Joanne Jacobs
May 19, 20232 min read
5 comments


School of bullies
Sometimes students misbehave -- not because their needs haven't been met or their teachers aren't sufficiently sensitive to their culture...
Joanne Jacobs
May 18, 20232 min read
5 comments


My students are 'broken kids I cannot fix'
Teachers on Reddit are sharing horror stories of their students' emotional, social and academic melt downs, screen addictions and apathy....
Joanne Jacobs
May 18, 20232 min read
2 comments


Cellphone bans spread: 'This has got to stop'
Schools across the country are banning cell phones in hopes of reducing distractions and refocusing students on academics, writes Donna...
Joanne Jacobs
May 12, 20232 min read
0 comments


'Restorative' backlash: Legislators propose tougher school discipline
Legislators are "moving to make it easier to kick disruptive students out of school" in response to "a pandemic-era surge in school gun...
Joanne Jacobs
Apr 2, 20232 min read
21 comments


Conservative teachers are quiet
Teachers who are on the political right "speak in whispers behind closed doors," says Daniel Buck in an interview with Rick Hess....
Joanne Jacobs
Mar 22, 20232 min read
1 comment


Ukrainian refugee girl flees unsafe San Francisco school
Yana and her mother fled Ukraine and found a new home with an aunt in San Francisco -- until the 13-year-old girl started Marina Middle...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 22, 20233 min read
8 comments


Teachers are quitting because of classroom chaos
Soft discipline policies make teachers' jobs much harder, writes Daniel Buck, who's taught in a variety of schools. A friend quit after...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 10, 20231 min read
10 comments
bottom of page