top of page


Don't blame parents for things they can't control
Parents can send children to school rested and ready to learn, but schools have to do their part too.
Joanne Jacobs
7 days ago2 min read
3 comments


What's a 'good' school? Parents have more choices, need more info
As school choice expands, parents need to evaluate test scores to find a "good school."
Joanne Jacobs
Mar 193 min read
13 comments


Five years to destroy public faith in schools
Public schools' response to the pandemic has caused permanent damage.
Joanne Jacobs
Mar 103 min read
0 comments


Johnny, Jelani and Juan can't read: Is it Mom and Dad's fault?
Don't blame parents for children's reading struggles.
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 173 min read
0 comments


Parents say kids are learning in school, but students say 'meh'
Parents overestimate how well their children are doing in school.
Joanne Jacobs
Jan 291 min read
0 comments


Too many toys, not enough fun
American families have lots of toys, but kids get the most play value from the basics, such as blocks.
Joanne Jacobs
Jan 122 min read
0 comments


'Give yourself a break' is bad advice: Do difficult things!
Young people need to believe they can do difficult things. Don't tell them they're fragile.
Joanne Jacobs
Jan 62 min read
4 comments


Sleepovers aren't for sissies
Do American kids need more math tutoring and fewer sleepovers?
Joanne Jacobs
Dec 30, 20242 min read
1 comment


'Brain rot' is the word for Gen Alpha
"Ohio" means "weird" in Gen Alpha slang. Hmmmm.
Joanne Jacobs
Dec 29, 20241 min read
0 comments


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...
Joanne Jacobs
Oct 25, 20242 min read
2 comments


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 16, 20242 min read
14 comments


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
Oct 9, 20242 min read
2 comments


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 26, 20242 min read
2 comments


$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
Sep 5, 20242 min read
8 comments


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 21, 20241 min read
2 comments


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 21, 20242 min read
0 comments


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
Aug 11, 20241 min read
1 comment


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 31, 20243 min read
4 comments


'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 18, 20242 min read
2 comments


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
Jul 8, 20242 min read
5 comments
bottom of page