Joanne Jacobs
Who's truly disadvantaged? Look at single parenting, not race or poverty
Growing up in a single-parent family is a huge disadvantage in life, writes Fordham's Michael Petrilli in Forbes. If racial preferences...
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Joanne Jacobs
Oct 162 min read
Who benefits from universal choice? Mostly families with kids already in private school
Arizona's universal choice program mostly benefits middle- and upper-middle-class families who already had children in private school.
Joanne Jacobs
Oct 92 min read
Tutoring is booming: Parents are paying to give their kids an edge
Many more parents are paying for in-person or online tutoring.
Joanne Jacobs
Sep 262 min read
The honesty gap: 'How are parents supposed to understand this?'
States are hiding pandemic learning loss by lowering the bar for "proficiency" on state tests.
Joanne Jacobs
Sep 52 min read
$100 to read a book: This doesn't seem like a viable plan
My sixth-grade teacher wanted us to read 10 books during the school year. Whenever we read a book, we were supposed to fill out an index...
Joanne Jacobs
Aug 211 min read
Sprinkling the fairy dust that helps children fly
My visiting eight-month-old granddaughter crawl-flopped past the teething toys to chew on the metal leg of the coffee table. "Try the...
Joanne Jacobs
Aug 212 min read
Racial achievement gaps: Poverty, parents explain some (not all) of differences
Socioeconomic status explains some of the Black/White achievement gap and most of the Hispanic/White achievement gap.
Joanne Jacobs
Aug 111 min read
Back to school? It's August!
Most U.S. students will be back in class tomorrow -- it's mid-August! -- and only 15 percent will start the school year after Labor Day. ...
Joanne Jacobs
Jul 313 min read
Is it really all that 'weird' for politicians to be pro-family?
Politicians used to kiss babies. Now, they're supposed to diss them, if you believe the anti-Vance campaign.
Joanne Jacobs
Jul 182 min read
'Raised by wolves,' Vance defends parents' rights
“Parents should absolutely be the primary stakeholders in their kids' education, and anyone who disagrees should stay the hell away from...
Joanne Jacobs
Jul 82 min read
Please come to school, pretty please, with a cherry on top . . .
Schools are struggling to get students to show up every day. Twenty-six percent of students are chronically absent, missing at least 10...
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 242 min read
'Teachers don't want combat pay,' they want an end to combat
Raising teacher pay won't raise student achievement or keep teachers from quitting if working conditions are bad.
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 232 min read
No phones, no Moms, just kids playing in the park
Parents should band together to "say 'no' to smart phones and social," writes Laura Yuen in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. She dreams of...
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 153 min read
Raising Young Sheldon -- or anti-Sheldon
Young Sheldon, which finished its seven-year run last month, shows the challenges of “parenting a very bright child,” writes Jonathan...
Joanne Jacobs
May 42 min read
Digital addiction starts early: 30% of K-2 kids use TikTok
Young children are becoming digital addicts, hooked on fast-paced scrolling, swiping and mini-rewards designed into platforms such as...
Joanne Jacobs
Apr 142 min read
How to succeed at college: Try doing the work
Anxious about their children's anxiety, parents are going into crisis mode when their 18-year-olds face the normal challenges of college...
Joanne Jacobs
Apr 132 min read
The 12-hour school (and child care) day
A New York City charter school is boosting enrollment by offering a 12-hour day, including breakfast and dinner, at no extra cost to...
Joanne Jacobs
Mar 312 min read
Mamma mia! Is raising kids too hard?
I was born at the peak of the baby boom, the second of four children. (Today is my birthday.) Most of us weren't planned, but we were...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 293 min read
If you want to climb a mountain, don't go two steps and ask, 'How do I feel?'
Nearly all public schools offer some type of counseling, mental health or "wellness" lessons, writes Abigail Shrier in Free Press. But...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 171 min read
Parents get a new message: Slightly sick kids should be in class
Worried about a nationwide epidemic of absenteeism, more schools are telling parents to send slightly sick children to school, reports...
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