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Joanne Jacobs
Jun 14, 20221 min read
Indy charters: 116-day boost in math
Indianapolis charter students are dramatically outperforming similar students in district-run schools, concludes a new study by Stanford...
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Joanne Jacobs
Apr 20, 20222 min read
Trying is not the same as achieving
Grading students based on effort rather than achievement is spreading from P.E. class to academic classes in high schools, but...
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Joanne Jacobs
Oct 9, 20182 min read
Who’s #1 in ed? Ranking for quality, not $
Which state has the best schools? Traditional rankings, such as those in U.S. News, factor in school spending, write Stan Liebowitz and...
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Joanne Jacobs
Sep 17, 20182 min read
Raising achievement in Atlanta — without cheating
New York Times reporter Sara Mosle looks at an Atlanta principal who’s trying to raise reading and math performance at her high-poverty,...
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Joanne Jacobs
Jul 24, 20182 min read
Has inclusion gone too far?
Inclusion — placing students with disabilities in mainstream classes — may not help special-needs students learn, concludes Allison...
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Joanne Jacobs
Jul 17, 20182 min read
New Orleans improves — a lot
“After Katrina’s devastation, New Orleans embarked on the the most ambitious education overhaul in modern America,” writes David...
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Joanne Jacobs
Feb 15, 20181 min read
The high cost of cheap diplomas
“Making graduation too easy” doesn’t just undermine “the motivations of students (and teachers),” writes Robert Slavin, who directs the...
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Joanne Jacobs
Feb 12, 20182 min read
Grad rates rise — achievement doesn’t
Statewide, achievement declined in math and improved in reading, she writes. “For some student groups, proficiency rates have actually...
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Joanne Jacobs
Jan 25, 20182 min read
Grading ‘floors’ can become learning ceilings
After a grade-switching scandal at two high schools, Memphis Superintendent Dorsey Hopson has issued a moratorium on “grade floors,”...
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Joanne Jacobs
Dec 4, 20172 min read
All-minority charters: Is it segregation?
At 25 percent of urban charter schools, 99 percent of students are non-white, reports AP. That compares to 10 percent of traditional...
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Joanne Jacobs
Nov 14, 20172 min read
How parents choose schools
One daughter goes to a small, fast-paced STEM-focused school with few arts, language, sports or extracurricular options, Fordham’s Jeff...
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Joanne Jacobs
Nov 5, 20171 min read
Chicago schools are improving!
Chicago Public Schools is the fastest-improving urban district, concludes Stanford’s Sean F. Reardon. Test scores for the average Chicago...
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Joanne Jacobs
Nov 3, 20171 min read
Sleepy teens
Teens aren’t getting enough sleep, concludes an analysis by Jean Twenge, a San Diego State psychology professor. In two surveys, 40...
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Joanne Jacobs
Oct 9, 20172 min read
Scores slip after ‘equity’ focus
“Racial equity” became the priority in Edina Public Schools (EPS), an affluent Minneapolis suburb, in 2013. Test scores are falling,...
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Joanne Jacobs
Oct 5, 20171 min read
CREDO: NYC charter students learn more
Students are learning more in New York City charter schools, concludes a new study from Stanford’s Center for Research on Educational...
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Joanne Jacobs
Sep 24, 20172 min read
Absentee teachers
More than 28 percent of teachers in traditional public schools — but only 10 percent of charter teachers — miss 11 or more days of...
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Joanne Jacobs
Sep 17, 20172 min read
Educating Eva
The Education of Eva Moskowitz, a memoir by Success Academy founder, describes her evolution from charter skeptic to crusader. Moskowitz...
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Joanne Jacobs
Aug 27, 20172 min read
Success succeeds for black, Latino kids
Success Academy Charter Schools students — nearly all from low-income black and Latino families — “outperformed every district in New...
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Joanne Jacobs
Aug 10, 20171 min read
Schools improve with charter neighbors
New York City charter schools help neighboring district schools improve, according to a new study that’s set to be published in Education...
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Joanne Jacobs
Jun 27, 20171 min read
Voucher students catch up in Indiana, Louisiana
Vouchers have failed, editorialized the New York Times in March, citing “dismal” results in Louisiana and Indiana on the first year of...
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