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Paying for failure: If at first you don't succeed, you get a try-again bonus
Failure algebra in Philadelphia, go to tutoring, retake the test and get a cash reward -- even if you fail again.
Joanne Jacobs
Mar 142 min read
3 comments


Students want A's for trying hard, B's for (mostly) showing up
Gen Z students expect to be graded on effort, not achievement.
Joanne Jacobs
Jan 131 min read
1 comment


California tells schools: Go easy on homework
A new California law urges school to set homework policies that ease stress and promote "equity."
Joanne Jacobs
Jan 31 min read
1 comment


Learning is hard, and cheating is easier than ever: What can teachers do?
Teachers can't turn every student into an eager learner, but they can make it harder to cheat.
Joanne Jacobs
Oct 3, 20242 min read
4 comments


Top marks for low expectations: 'Rate your teacher' surveys could backfire
Asking students to rate their teachers is a dubious way to evaluate teachers' competence, writes Vladimir Kogan, a Ohio State political...
Joanne Jacobs
Mar 8, 20242 min read
7 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

Learning is hard
Learning is hard, Dan Willingham tells Laura McKenna. It takes effort. But motivated students can learn effective learning and study...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 19, 20232 min read
11 comments

'Ya gotta believe'
"We're not good now, but we can get better" was the unofficial motto of a start-up charter high school in San Jose, I concluded in 2001....
Joanne Jacobs
Dec 8, 20222 min read
0 comments
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