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A 'lost generation' of learning: Scores fall, gaps widen for 13-year-olds
America's 13-year-olds are moving backwards educationally, according to a new report on long term trends by the National Assessment of...
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 22, 20231 min read
4 comments


Race-based affirmative action isn't popular
Half of adults disapprove of colleges considering race and ethnicity in admissions, while one third approve and the rest are unsure,...
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 15, 20231 min read
2 comments


If colleges can't use race for admissions, what happens?
The U.S. Supreme Court to end racial preferences in college admissions, very soon, just about everyone predicts. So what happens next?...
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 15, 20232 min read
14 comments


Finland's secret: Teachers teach
Finland has become a mecca for miracle-seeking educators, writes Sam Chaltain on Letters from the Future (of Learning). Teaching is an...
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 1, 20231 min read
15 comments


Dual enrollment soars, but is it really college?
Sarah Olufemi-Dada is graduating from her Texas high school with a diploma, an associate science and a full scholarship to Stanford,...
Joanne Jacobs
May 25, 20232 min read
11 comments


SATs are out. Published 'research' is in, but it's pay to play
Test scores are out. Everyone's got an A average. The "community service" trip to Mexico and the start-your-own-charity gambit are...
Joanne Jacobs
May 22, 20232 min read
7 comments


Presto chango! You're 'graduation ready'
New Jersey just doubled the percentage of students who are "graduation ready" in reading, writes Chrif Cerf, the former state...
Joanne Jacobs
May 17, 20231 min read
3 comments


Americans like merit, but Democrats aren't so sure
Most Americans -- "ordinary people" rather than academics -- believe in merit, writes Ruy Teixeira on Liberal Patriot. They want to help...
Joanne Jacobs
May 16, 20232 min read
15 comments


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...
Joanne Jacobs
May 11, 20233 min read
7 comments


Evanston High backs off on segregated math classes
I'm so old I remember when segregation was considered a bad thing. Evanston Township High (ETHS), just north of Chicago, created...
Joanne Jacobs
May 7, 20232 min read
16 comments


Knowledge isn't just for Republicans
Teaching knowledge is not just for Republicans or conservatives, writes Natalie Wexler on Minding the Gap. Anyone who values equity...
Joanne Jacobs
Apr 26, 20232 min read
19 comments


'Algebra for none' fails in San Francisco
The goal was equity. The result: Meh. Frustrated by high failure rates in eighth-grade algebra, San Francisco Unified decided in 2015 to...
Joanne Jacobs
Apr 14, 20232 min read
102 comments


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


All children can learn -- but how much?
Not all education problems are solvable, if we just try hard enough or spend enough, argues Freddie DeBoer in a column on optimism bias. ...
Joanne Jacobs
Mar 23, 20232 min read
11 comments


Anti-merit push is alienating Asian voters
Democrats are losing Asian-American voters, writes Ruy Teixeira on Liberal Patriot. Asians, like Hispanics, are not radicals, he writes....
Joanne Jacobs
Mar 20, 20231 min read
1 comment


Make peace, not culture war
"Liberal Patriot" Ruy Teixeira advises Democrats to stop fighting culture wars and make peace with middle-ground voters. For example,...
Joanne Jacobs
Mar 16, 20231 min read
2 comments


Elite Philly school is being 'dismantled' by lottery admissions, say parents
An influx of unprepared students, admitted by a new lottery system, is destroying Philadelphia's top-ranked school, charges a report by...
Joanne Jacobs
Mar 9, 20231 min read
2 comments


Columbia goes 'holistic,' dumps SAT/ACT requirement
Columbia University, know for its core curriculum in humanities, has become the first Ivy League school to drop SAT/ACT scores as an...
Joanne Jacobs
Mar 9, 20232 min read
0 comments


'Diversity statements' are out in North Carolina, Texas ...
Would-be professors will not be asked to pledge allegiance to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) to be considered for a job at the...
Joanne Jacobs
Mar 1, 20231 min read
0 comments


Who gets in? Try dartboard admissions
The college admissions race is a waste of time, argues Rick Hess, education policy director of the American Enterprise Institute. Except...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 28, 20233 min read
4 comments
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