Jonathan Zimmerman

Jonathan Zimmerman says a new take on summer schooling could connect more teachers with the passion and idealism that brought them into education in the first place.

Jonathan Zimmerman says, “The best thing we could do to promote equity and inclusion in higher education would be to provide more tutoring and other academic support to first-generation and minority students."

Jonathan Zimmerman criticizes legislation limiting what can be taught about American history.

Jonathan Zimmerman says people should not be stopped from choosing to participate in 'segregated' graduation ceremonies specialized for minority groups.

Jonathan Zimmerman says the political “self-segregation” of students who want to avoid other viewpoints doesn’t help political divisions.

Jonathan Zimmerman expresses some apprehension about three-year bachelor degree programs, warning that policymakers need to consider carefully what students are getting out of college; Robert Zemsky, an advocate of the three-year program, says it won't work for everyone.

Jonathan Zimmerman explained that attacks on Critical Race Theory and Social and Emotional Learning by conservatives represent a new nationalization of educational politics.

Zimmerman noted that "American exceptionalism" is a rallying cry for the political right, but is not enshrined in law as an educational goal.

Jonathan Zimmerman is lauded for having shaped educational practice and policy in 2022.

Jonathan Zimmerman claims that most higher education institutions have not taken adequate steps to determine the impact of remote teaching on student learning, and this lack of effort is the real scandal.

Jonathan Zimmerman, expert on the history of education, discusses how Florida Governor Ron Desantis is making public schools a "national political project." Zimmerman explains that historically teachers get fired for differences in political idealogies that arise at a local or state level, but not any more.

The United States has come to an inflection point in our disagreements about what America is and what it means, says Jonathan Zimmerman.

Jonathan Zimmerman said that bills banning the teaching of so-called “critical race theory” in schools could create more problems for conservatives than they solve. “I understand the danger of indoctrination in our schools, about race and everything else,” he said. “But the solution to that problem is to present multiple perspectives in our classrooms, not to bar certain perspectives from them.” 

Jonathan Zimmerman posed tough questions about who will instruct students about the January 6, 2021, insurrection. Most of our history teachers, he says, are not adequately educated for that task.

Jonathan Zimmerman asked, “Can we be honest about critical race theory (CRT)?” He argues the topic has become highly politicized. To confront biases, one must share different versions of America with students and allow them to use critical thinking skills to confront conflicting truths and weigh opposing arguments.

Jonathan Zimmerman discusses a trend across higher education, where we’re relying on draconian penalties — especially suspensions — to discipline our students instead of working with them to help them get better.

Jonathan Zimmerman writes about the declining availability of tenure-track positions and a movement toward preparing doctoral students for jobs outside the academy, but suspects the change will come from outside of the academy, not from within it.

Jonathan Zimmerman advocated for a program that would enlist college students and other young adults to support school-aged children with online learning and extracurricular activities in exchange for a small stipend during the pandemic.  

Jonathan Zimmerman writes, “Schools are always implicated in national crises, always,” pointing to schools’ role selling war bonds during World War I and cultivating victory gardens in World War II. “But in prior crises, they were engaged in the struggle, because it was a struggle against a human enemy rather than a biological one. This is a struggle against a biological one that requires schools not to step up, but to stand down.”

Jonathan Zimmerman comments on 2020 presidential candidates' educational backgrounds and what history reveals about how experience with public schooling relates to policymaking.

Jonathan Zimmerman argues for the restoration of access to federal student aid for incarcerated people.

Jonathan Zimmerman advocates for academics to increase engagement with the public and widen the audience for their work.

Jonathan Zimmerman comments on the prom as an ingrained high school tradition that students who identify outside the binary want to openly be a part of--similar to the dynamics that propelled same-sex marriage.

Jonathan Zimmerman writes about the importance of trusting teachers to discuss controversial issues in age-appropriate ways.

Jonathan Zimmerman explains that principals’ divided minds about technology have existed throughout education history.

Jonathan Zimmerman suggests that across the political spectrum, Americans are distrusting college and universities; he offers three suggestions for improvement. 

Harris Sokoloff and Jonathan Zimmerman discuss the recent event “Can We Talk? Political Dialogue in Donald Trump’s America.”

Jonathan Zimmerman writes about the increase in mental illness at selective universities, and the steps that can be taken to help reduce the competitive nature of these communities.  

Jonathan Zimmerman examines the role of educators in guiding discussions of controversial issues.

Jonathan Zimmerman writes about the importance of preparing college students to engage in conversation about differences.

Jonathan Zimmerman writes about privacy in classrooms in the digital age.

Jonathan Zimmerman discusses efforts towards diverse campuses and who has benefited from affirmative action.

Jonathan Zimmerman asserts that there are legitimate reasons to oppose school vouchers, but the fact that early voucher proponents had racist motivations does not mean that today’s proponents do.

Jonathan Zimmerman analyzes Harvard’s reported decision to retract admissions offers from 10 students who posted offensive social media messages and suggests that “the best reply to bad speech is always more speech, not less.”

Jonathan Zimmerman pens this op-ed on teachers engaging politics in the classroom.

In this op-ed, Larry McDaniel, Jr., a M.S.Ed. in Higher Education student, comments on the UC Berkeley riots and a previous op-ed by Jonathan Zimmerman.

"It’s ridiculous and frightening for the president to be threatening to withhold money based on his perception of what’s happening with free speech on campus," said Jonathan Zimmerman.

In this op-ed, Jonathan Zimmerman comments on the Women's March and the recent US presidential election's low voter turnout among Democrats.

Jonathan Zimmerman shares his thoughts on Trump's unprecedented rise to the American presidency. 

Jonathan Zimmerman comments on the contentious exchange between U.S. representative and civil rights leader, John Lewis, and president-elect Donald Trump.

Jonathan Zimmerman writes about the national debate over charter schools and public education.

"That's precisely what our free-speech debate needs right now: more fuss from the faculty. Free speech should be an academic question, not an administrative one. The real question is whether we'll step up to answer it," says Jonathan Zimmerman.