Florida | Joanne Jacobs

'Woke' (or wokeish) courses are cut from core list at Florida universities

Joanne Jacobs

Dec 41 min read

'Woke' (or wokeish) courses are cut from core list at Florida universities

Courses that teach identity politics or systemic racism will be electives -- not core courses -- at Florida's state universities.

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Joanne Jacobs

Sep 81 min read

A la carte learning in Florida

Alicia Garcia was a part-time cooking teacher before the pandemic closed Florida schools, writes Ron Matus on Next Steps. Now the former...

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Always mediocre, teacher prep is now politicized too

Joanne Jacobs

Jun 192 min read

Always mediocre, teacher prep is now politicized too

Future elementary teachers get a lot of training in "equity pedagogy" at the University of Florida, writes Scott Yenor in City Journal....

29 comments

Repeating a grade can help elementary students succeed

Joanne Jacobs

Oct 18, 20232 min read

Repeating a grade can help elementary students succeed

Holding kids back if they're way behind in reading is very controversial, but new research shows that repeating a grade in elementary...

11 comments

How AZ parents spend ESAs: Specialty schools, private schools -- and karate lessons!

Joanne Jacobs

Oct 10, 20232 min read

How AZ parents spend ESAs: Specialty schools, private schools -- and karate lessons!

How are Arizona parents spending Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) money? They're paying for educational products and services,...

5 comments

Shakespeare's smut: 'Out, out, gosh-darned spot'

Joanne Jacobs

Aug 14, 20232 min read

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...

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Kerfuffle's climax: AP Psych is OK in Florida

Joanne Jacobs

Aug 9, 20231 min read

Kerfuffle's climax: AP Psych is OK in Florida

Florida high schools can teach Advanced Placement Psychology -- including the unit on gender and sexuality -- says the state education...

10 comments

Black history in Florida: 'Strong, valuable people'

Joanne Jacobs

Jul 24, 20232 min read

Black history in Florida: 'Strong, valuable people'

Alex Haley's Roots, which traced his ancestors back to Africa, was a very big deal when it was shown on TV in 1977. I was surprised to...

18 comments

Joanne Jacobs

Jun 17, 20232 min read

Banning book bans: It won't work

Illinois libraries that ban or restrict books for "partisan or doctrinal" reasons will lose state funding under a new law, reports Claire...

3 comments

Cellphone bans spread: 'This has got to stop'

Joanne Jacobs

May 12, 20232 min read

Cellphone bans spread: 'This has got to stop'

Schools across the country are banning cell phones in hopes of reducing distractions and refocusing students on academics, writes Donna...

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It's easier to become a teacher, but ...

Joanne Jacobs

May 1, 20232 min read

It's easier to become a teacher, but ...

States are dropping licensing tests to qualify more teachers, write Hannah Putnam and Heather Peske of the National Council on Teacher...

6 comments

Teach about gender identity -- but just the facts, person who produces eggs

Joanne Jacobs

Apr 28, 20231 min read

Teach about gender identity -- but just the facts, person who produces eggs

Florida banned teaching about sexuality and gender in K-3 last year, and authorized only age "appropriate" lessons in higher grades. Now...

2 comments

Poll finds strong, bipartisan support for school choice

Joanne Jacobs

Apr 26, 20231 min read

Poll finds strong, bipartisan support for school choice

Democrats and Republicans strongly support school choice, according to a new I&I/TIPP poll, reports Terry Jones. Here's the question,...

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Joanne Jacobs

Apr 20, 20232 min read

Don't ignore the smart kids

Victoria McDougald thought kindergarten would be exciting and joyful for her son, "an eager, rapid learner," but she learned that the...

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Will 65% of Tennessee 3rd-graders repeat the year? Not likely

Joanne Jacobs

Apr 12, 20232 min read

Will 65% of Tennessee 3rd-graders repeat the year? Not likely

If Tennessee's read-or- repeat law had been in place last year, 65 percent of third graders would have been at-risk of retention for...

8 comments

Joanne Jacobs

Mar 31, 20231 min read

Back in the USA

We returned from Barcelona last night, so I'm a bit jet-lagged -- and where was my breakfast buffet this morning? -- but the blog is...

3 comments

Why was Rosa Parks told to move to the back of the bus?

Joanne Jacobs

Mar 17, 20232 min read

Why was Rosa Parks told to move to the back of the bus?

Florida is approving new "anti-woke" social studies textbooks, reports Sarah Mervosh in the New York Times. Some publishers think the...

2 comments

Joanne Jacobs

Feb 20, 20232 min read

DeSantis vs. College Board

Florida schools will not stop offering Advanced Placement classes, whatever Gov. Ron DeSantis suggests. With other rigorous options, such...

13 comments

Joanne Jacobs

Feb 8, 20232 min read

Parents need 'choice navigators'

"Choice navigators" can help parents use education scholarships to find the right options for their children, writes Travis Pillow of the...

1 comment

Classroom libraries aren't a crime in Florida

Joanne Jacobs

Feb 2, 20231 min read

Classroom libraries aren't a crime in Florida

The "great Florida classroom library freak-out of 2023" is based on faulty reporting, confusing directives from local school officials...

13 comments