Joanne JacobsOct 24, 20232 min read'Mastery learning' means lots of testing, and choices about what's essentialU.S. students should get a high school diploma when they meet state standards in core subjects, writes Checker Finn. It doesn't matter...
Joanne JacobsApr 6, 20231 min readEducating for adulthoodAmericans have fallen out of love with college degrees, writes Jenny Anderson in Time. In 2019, Americans ranked “preparing for college”...
Joanne JacobsApr 6, 20232 min readWhat's the purpose of high school?Teaching "self-sufficiency and competence" should be the goal of high school -- not merely college prep -- writes Selim Tlili, a biology...
Joanne JacobsMar 13, 20231 min readDropout rate is up: Disrupted teens gave up on schoolThe high school dropout rate is up, reports Julian Shen-Berro on Chalkbeat. Students who fell behind when classes went virtual feel...
Joanne JacobsJan 3, 20232 min readTeaching reading in high schoolMemphis high schools are teaching reading skills to teenagers who didn't learn to read well in the early grades, reports Sarah Mervosh in...
Joanne JacobsDec 16, 20222 min readThey earned a diploma, but they need help to succeed in jobs, college How do you judge a high school's effectiveness? Graduation rates don't mean much: It's easy to raise the graduation rate by lowering...
Joanne JacobsNov 13, 20221 min readReinvent high school, but how?Fordham's 2022 Wonkathon is looking for ideas on how to reinvent high school: What policy barriers get in the way? If we all agree that...