top of page


Schools are becoming social services hubs with a little reading and math on the side
Schools are trying to solve every student's every problem, but neglecting their academic mission.
Joanne Jacobs
4 days ago1 min read
1 comment


81% of teachers, 56% of parents want 4-day week -- but students will learn less
The four-day school week is popular with teachers and parents, but research shows students learn less.
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 62 min read
1 comment


Why teachers are stressed: Student misbehavior is #1 complaint
Student misbehavior is the "number one cause of job-related stress in teachers," reports Matt Lincoln for CBS12 in Palm Beach County,...
Joanne Jacobs
Nov 22, 20242 min read
2 comments


Covid stress hurt memory, 'flexible thinking' for kids and teachers, says study
Students -- and teachers -- lost reasoning, memory and executive-function skills during the pandemic. Stress? Long Covid? Screens?
Joanne Jacobs
Sep 21, 20241 min read
0 comments


The lonely teacher: Schools need freedom to rethink teaching
The one-teacher, one-classroom model is leaving teachers exhausted, isolated and ready to quit, according to a National Council on...
Joanne Jacobs
Sep 18, 20242 min read
2 comments


Who's the best teacher? 'Good with kids' trumps knowing the subject
Principals prefer "engaging" teachers over those who are good at instruction but not classroom management.
Joanne Jacobs
Aug 26, 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


82% of teachers say K-12 ed is getting worse
Eighty-two percent of teachers say public education has gotten worse in the last five years, according to a Pew survey. Fifty-three...
Joanne Jacobs
Apr 8, 20241 min read
13 comments


To spot 'fake news,' students need to know things
It's Media Literacy Monday in journalism class at Cupertino's Monta Vista High School, and Silicon Valley students are analyzing...
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 21, 20242 min read
4 comments


The Finnish miracle is finished, but why?
Finland! Finland! Finland! Twenty years ago, Finland's top-of-the-world PISA scores made it "the most widely celebrated and imitated...
Joanne Jacobs
Jan 18, 20242 min read
7 comments


Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat Internet memes
"America's K-12 education system is uniquely ill-suited to help students make sense of complicated world events and navigate contentious...
Joanne Jacobs
Nov 15, 20233 min read
3 comments


Detracking in Shaker Heights: 'Honors' for all, lower expectations
All Shaker Heights students take honors classes -- or classes with an "honors" label. The "enriched" and "advanced" tracks are gone,...
Joanne Jacobs
Aug 17, 20232 min read
8 comments


'Like a Surgeon'
Teachers in Houston's turnaround schools will be treated like surgeons, pledges Superintendent Mike Miles.
Joanne Jacobs
Jul 31, 20231 min read
1 comment


Inner-city schools aren't underfunded any more
Abbott Elementary, a popular ABC sitcom about teachers at an inner-city Philadelphia school, is "entertaining but not elucidating" about...
Joanne Jacobs
Jul 12, 20232 min read
2 comments


Teachers are thriving in charter, private schools
Teachers, Facing Increasing Levels of Stress, Are Burned Out, according to a March story in the New York Times. That seems to be true for...
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 13, 20231 min read
6 comments


Out-of-control students, overwhelmed teachers
Student misbehavior is driving teachers crazy -- and out of teaching write Leslie Bienen, a health policy consultant, and Christina...
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 5, 20232 min read
7 comments


Finland's secret: Teachers teach
Finland has become a mecca for miracle-seeking educators, writes Sam Chaltain on Letters from the Future (of Learning). Teaching is an...
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 1, 20231 min read
15 comments


Chicago invests in small-group tutors, while LA shifts to classroom teachers
Chicago Public Schools are relying on "academic interventionists" to help students catch up in reading and math, reports Mila Koumpilova...
Joanne Jacobs
May 30, 20232 min read
0 comments


Students don't learn more from a same-race teacher
Elementary students don't learn more from a teacher who matches them in race or ethnicity, concludes a new study. There is little...
Joanne Jacobs
May 19, 20232 min read
5 comments


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...
Joanne Jacobs
May 1, 20232 min read
6 comments
bottom of page