Joanne Jacobs
El Paso puts all students on the path to 8th-grade algebra
Students need to believe they can be "math people," writes Lance Barasch, who teaches algebra at the School of Science and Engineering...
top of page
Joanne Jacobs
Mar 72 min read
'Data science' isn't college-prep math (or science), say university profs
"Data science" is a popular choice for students who struggled in traditional math classes, reports Javeria Salman on the Hechinger...
Joanne Jacobs
Mar 72 min read
Algebra wins big in San Francisco -- but will kids learn times tables?
San Francisco schools should offer algebra in eighth grade, said 84 percent of voters in Tuesday's election. It was a stunning rejection...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 152 min read
SF brings back 8th-grade algebra, admits 'equity math' failed
Algebra will return to San Francisco middle schools, reports Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle. The school board's vote Tuesday...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 81 min read
8th-grade algebra for some
Most middle schools offer eighth-grade algebra to high achievers, according to a new RAND survey, reports Kalyn Belsha on Chalkbeat. Only...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 82 min read
Leveling up: How to get 'diverse' kids to advanced math
"Equity" doesn't mean lowering standards in Union district near Tulsa, reports Hechinger's Neal Morton. Most students in accelerated math...
Joanne Jacobs
Aug 17, 20232 min read
Detracking in Shaker Heights: 'Honors' for all, lower expectations
All Shaker Heights students take honors classes -- or classes with an "honors" label. The "enriched" and "advanced" tracks are gone,...
Joanne Jacobs
Jul 21, 20232 min read
You want equity? Teach more -- not less
The foolish idea that teaching kids less math will advance "equity" has spread from California, which has adopted watered-down guidelines...
Joanne Jacobs
Jul 14, 20232 min read
'Big ideas' aren't always good ideas
Impatience is the besetting sin of progressive education. Progressives want to skip the boring, old fundamentals -- phonics,...
Joanne Jacobs
Jul 7, 20231 min read
'Data science' closes STEM doors, professors warn
"Data science" classes don't prepare students for college-level math, science or engineering courses, say University of California...
Joanne Jacobs
Apr 14, 20232 min read
'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 3, 20231 min read
Students learn more from tough graders
Students learn more when their teachers have high expectations, concludes a study in North Carolina, reports Kevin Mahnken. Algebra...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 23, 20232 min read
Algebra: Gateway or barrier?
“What is so magical about algebra as a math requirement?” asked Eloy Ortiz Oakley, former chancellor of California’s community college...
bottom of page