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Why so many parents mistrust schools: They didn't teach our kids to read
"When schools fail to teach reading, it harms the public's trust in schools," writes Kendra Hurley in Slate. Her children's Brooklyn...
Joanne Jacobs
Oct 17, 20232 min read
7 comments


Please, please, please don't politicize reading instruction
Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters declared the first week of October "Teach Kids to Read Week." This is controversial, reports Sarah...
Joanne Jacobs
Oct 13, 20232 min read
7 comments


Rosalinda wants to be an astronaut, but she doesn't read very well
Massachusetts, which claims to have the best public schools in the nation, is "failing its neediest learners," write Mandy McLaren and...
Joanne Jacobs
Oct 9, 20232 min read
7 comments


'Hungry Caterpillar' is banned as school purges pre-2008 books
Books published before 2008 have been removed from school library shelves in a school district near Toronto, Canada, reports Nicole...
Joanne Jacobs
Sep 18, 20232 min read
3 comments


More students are in 'big, big trouble' in reading, math, and they're not catching up
Students are learning again, but most are not catching up for learning lost during the pandemic, conclude three new reports comparing...
Joanne Jacobs
Aug 28, 20232 min read
3 comments


Shakespeare's smut: 'Out, out, gosh-darned spot'
There's no need to edit the dirty jokes out of Shakespeare's plays to comply with Florida's new law, according to the state Education...
Joanne Jacobs
Aug 14, 20232 min read
0 comments


'We took care of our kids' -- but they lost a year in reading, math
Juab School District in Utah focused on supporting students emotionally when schools reopened in fall of 2020. “We took care of our...
Joanne Jacobs
Aug 7, 20232 min read
1 comment

What works in teaching English (discussion) may not work in teaching math
The most effective use of class time depends on the subject, concludes a study conducted in high-poverty English high schools, reports...
Joanne Jacobs
Jul 26, 20231 min read
4 comments


Doing more of what wasn't working won't help kids catch up
"If we really want to narrow gaps and make up for pandemic-related learning loss, we need to change what and how we teach -- especially...
Joanne Jacobs
Jul 13, 20231 min read
4 comments


Good news in Tennessee
Tennessee's focus on tutoring and summer school is paying off, report Marta W. Aldrich and Kae Petrin on Chalkbeat. Scores are up for the...
Joanne Jacobs
Jul 3, 20231 min read
1 comment


Be afraid. Be very afraid.
There are three terrifying things about the long-term federal test data on 13-year-olds' achievement, writes Vladimir Kogan, an Ohio...
Joanne Jacobs
Jul 3, 20232 min read
8 comments


Why Johnny can't read in Oregon
Oregon schools, which once outdid national averages, produced "jaw-dropping declines in student outcomes" during the pandemic, and now...
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 27, 20232 min read
1 comment


Mississippi rules in reading
Mississippi students used to rank dead last in learning, writes Phil Bryant, the former governor of the state, on Real Clear Education....
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 27, 20232 min read
0 comments


Summer school is open, but will students who need it most show up?
This will be the last year of Covid-funded summer school before the pandemic relief money runs out, writes Jo Napolitano on The 74. Some...
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 24, 20232 min read
0 comments


CREDO: Some charters are achievement 'gap busters'
Black, Hispanic and low-income students gain the most in reading and math compared to similar students at district schools, concludes a...
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 22, 20231 min read
0 comments


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


'It's heartbreaking to realize I never taught my students to read'
Hoping to share her love of reading, Bridget Scanlan became an "intervention" teacher working with struggling readers and special-ed...
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 20, 20232 min read
3 comments


38% of ed schools get 'F' in prepping teachers to teach reading
Thirty-eight percent of teacher-education programs are failing to prepare future teachers to teach reading using the most effective...
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 20, 20232 min read
2 comments


Beyond basics: Schools must teach 'virtues and habits' of free people
"Back to basics" education isn't enough, writes Gillian Richards on The American Conservative. "Some conservatives have responded to...
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 12, 20232 min read
4 comments


Charters are outperforming traditional public schools
Charter schools are outperforming traditional public schools, according to a new study by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes...
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 7, 20233 min read
13 comments
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