Articles by Joanne Jacobs
'F No Es Fabuloso?' Beating the Scholastic Odds
U.S. high school seniors don't have the skills to match their ambitions, according to a new U.S. Education Department study. A third of 12th graders surveyed in 2004 expected to complete a bachelor's degree and another third expected a bachelors...
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Rigor-Free Research
Forget the anecdotes and assumptions. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, federal education dollars are supposed to fund only programs proven effective by "scientifically based research." That's spotlighting a problem: A lot of what passes for education research..
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Polishing the Education Stone
Don't know much about geography. Don't know much trigonometry. Don't know much about algebra. Don't know what a slide rule is for. What I do know: one and one is two . . . Sam Cook's "Wonderful World" lyrics...
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How Much is Enough to Spend on Education?
How much is enough when it comes to funding better schools? According to studies done for school finance lawsuits, schools are radically underfunded. And opponents of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) claim implementing the law would require spending an...
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The False Promise of Universal Pre-school
Universal, free pre-school for all four-year-olds. Sounds great, especially if you're a working parent shelling out thousands of dollars a year for private pre-school and child care. Let the state pay for it! But most middle-class children don't need...
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Whose Personal Essay?
The turning point in Erica's life -- or so she told the college of her choice -- was her first day in school in California. She was 11 years old. She spoke no English. She was terrified. Her first...
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The Student-School Disconnect
For Johnny, J'Hani and Juanita, using the Internet is like using a TV or a microwave or a telephone. It's normal. But when they're in school, it's a problem. They can't get to net-linked computers locked in the lab....
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All Play, No Work
Stressed by endless hours of homework, American children have no time for fun or family. Don't believe it. Many students are overburdened, but not because they're studying too much. They're spending time on soccer,
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Start-Up Success
All charter schools are not alike. They're not supposed to be: The idea is to experiment with different ideas to see what works. But most studies of charter school effectiveness don't distinguish between wildly different schools: Back to Basics...
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Acting Bright
Jamal Black lives in a tree-lined suburb with his college-educated parents, who've chosen to pay a premium for a house in a "good" school district. Lily White, also the child of educated, middle-class parents, lives next door. Although they go...
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