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Spelling isn't obsolete: Linking sounds to letters is key to learning to read
Spelling -- linking sounds to letters -- is a key to reading fluency.
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 262 min read
2 comments


In a rustbelt city, disadvantaged students are proficient readers
Steubenville's families are struggling to make a living -- but their children are excellent readers.
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 212 min read
5 comments


He had a 3.4 GPA, but he couldn't read
Passing special-ed students along with high grades and a diploma -- but no effective instruction --doesn't do them any favors.
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 192 min read
1 comment

Charter network trains -- and pays -- parents to teach reading
A Denver charter network has trained parents to work as reading tutors.
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 171 min read
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The way back: Refocus on things schools can do
Schools need to focus on teaching academics rather than trying to end injustice or combat climate change.
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 52 min read
8 comments


Catholic schools ace NAEP
Catholic school students are one to two years ahead of public students in reading and math.
Joanne Jacobs
Jan 311 min read
5 comments

Reading, math scores are out: 'The news is not good'
Reading scores are still falling on the "nation's report card," while math scores are the same.
Joanne Jacobs
Jan 292 min read
5 comments


Atticus learns to read: Teaching phonics works
K-1 students made significant gains when teachers used UFLI Foundations, a systematic phonics and phonemic awareness program.
Joanne Jacobs
Jan 151 min read
2 comments


Most teens don't read for fun: What can teachers do?
Few teenagers read for fun regularly, and many don't read for school either, writes Natalie Wexler on Minding the Gap. We're "becoming a...
Joanne Jacobs
Dec 3, 20242 min read
7 comments


Teaching books doesn't work if students won't (or can't) read
English teachers don't teach many novels because students won't do the reading on their own.
Joanne Jacobs
Nov 18, 20243 min read
12 comments


New report cards baffle parents: What does 'emerging' mean? (Your kid can't read)
Kris is an "emerging" reader, Carlos is "extending" and Emma is "developing." Is "proficient" Pat the best reader? Nope. Parents don't...
Joanne Jacobs
Oct 28, 20242 min read
2 comments


Making money matter: More kids in special ed doesn't improve reading
Schools got $190 billion in emergency funding during the epidemic, write Marguerite Roza, director of Georgetown's Edunomics Lab, and...
Joanne Jacobs
Oct 23, 20242 min read
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Georgetown students 'have trouble staying focused on even a sonnet'
Even elite colleges don't read very much and have trouble staying focused on books.
Joanne Jacobs
Oct 2, 20242 min read
5 comments


Poor kids can learn to read too
Overall, family poverty and reading problems go together. But some school districts are beating the odds.
Joanne Jacobs
Sep 12, 20242 min read
2 comments


200-day school year boosts reading scores -- and attendance
Adding 20 days to the school year improved reading scores at two Richmond elementary schools.
Joanne Jacobs
Sep 9, 20242 min read
1 comment


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


Only the education-rich can afford laissez-faire schools
Monogamy is "outdated," Troubled author Rob Henderson's Yale classmate told him. She's been raised in a stable, two-parent family and...
Joanne Jacobs
Aug 1, 20242 min read
9 comments


Why boys don't read very much: They want manly courage -- not teen angst
Boys might read more if they were introduced to classic books with male heroes.
Joanne Jacobs
Jul 9, 20242 min read
7 comments


It's cultural literacy, not Bible lessons, say Texas educators
Texas will add Bible stories and religious history to its K-5 reading curriculum.
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 5, 20242 min read
7 comments


Magic worlds
The Rabbit Hole, a children's literature museum in Kansas City, sounds like a wonderful place. Children can explore "scenes from beloved...
Joanne Jacobs
Apr 7, 20241 min read
1 comment
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