Class Struggle - Jay Mathews' Education Blog - September 6, 2009

How to Survive Our Worst Schools

I was intrigued by a story on the front page of the Post Aug. 9 Written by my colleague Robin Givhan, it focused on a White House internship program for D.C. students that included a recent high school graduate...

Egad! School Research Has Power

I have long believed that politicians never read education research reports, and if they do, only believe the ones that confirm their biases. Timothy A. Hacsi's brilliant 2002 book, "Children As Pawns: The Politics of Education Reform," proved this...

Admissions 101: What's the Best College Guide?

Over at Admissions 101, Jay Mathews has opened the debate on the best college guide. Here's a quick sampling of the discussion so far: ANetliner says: Daniel Golden's "The Price of Admission" is a terrific book on this subject. Golden...

Obama Speech Good for Wakefield, But I Haven't Changed My Mind

The president's speech at Wakefield High was a wonderful experience for those hard-working students and the school's exceptional staff. I was particularly taken with the president's generosity in answering questions from students before the speech. They will remember this...

Jay & Valerie Debate The Speech

Class Struggle and colleague Valerie Strauss, of The Answer Sheet, staged a head-to-head debate over President Obama's speech at Wakefield High. Their material: an advance text of the speech and who-knows-how-many years of education reporting experience.--The Editors JAY MATHEWS: As...

Certification Of Teachers as Painful Farce