Archive: Jay on the Web
AP debate: Jay rejects Valerie's forgiveness
My colleague Valerie Strauss, purveyor of The Answer Sheet blog on our shared Post education Web site, just posted a letter to me saying I wasn't, as she once thought, a vile merchant of student stress for rating high...
By Jay Mathews | November 5, 2009; 11:57 AM ET | Comments (4)
Will 21st century skills weaken our federal education programs?
The Common Core blog, which shares my distrust of the 21st century skills movement, is warning about the appointment of Apple executive Karen Cator as head of the U.S. Education Department's Office of Education Technology. I don't know Cator....
By Jay Mathews | November 4, 2009; 12:38 PM ET | Comments (4)
Help pick the best education blogs of 2009
I have put out a best education blogs list the last two years, but I wasn't a blogger myself then, and really didn't know what I was doing. Now that I face personally, each day, the pressures of being...
By Jay Mathews | November 4, 2009; 05:30 AM ET | Comments (13)
Bye-bye Arne: Why we don't need an education secretary
Arne Duncan is the latest in a splendid crop of U.S. education secretaries over the last few decades. The ones I have known best include, in alphabetical order: Bill Bennett, Rod Paige, Dick Riley and Margaret Spellings--all fine people...
By Jay Mathews | November 3, 2009; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (25)
Secrets of private schools revealed
Michael Birnbaum, one of the Post's newest and youngest reporters, has just shamed this geezer columnist by producing a feature on Monday's education page full of stuff I didn't know. Go to our education page for the "Public data...
By Jay Mathews | November 2, 2009; 01:52 PM ET | Comments (3)
Are Post authors biased? Give us your solutions.
A very thoughtful and persistent reader who signs in as bermanator4 has gone after me for not warning readers of my personal views whenever I address issues about which I have written extensively, particularly when I have written books...
By Jay Mathews | October 31, 2009; 04:44 PM ET | Comments (24)
Rhee is right--summer learning is vital
I don't have a transcript of yesterday's raucous D.C. Council hearing over the disputed layoffs of 266 teachers early this month, but the TV clip I saw had Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray asking D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A....
By Jay Mathews | October 30, 2009; 09:50 AM ET | Comments (68)
Rhee vs. teachers--is that clash important?
On our education page you will find the latest reports from both the D.C. Council hearing and the court hearing Thursday on the firing of 266 D.C. teachers by Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee. This is important information, but to...
By Jay Mathews | October 29, 2009; 03:21 PM ET | Comments (11)
A new, if pushy, idea to improve special education
[This is my column for our new Local Living section, Oct. 29] When I first returned to the Washington area in 1997 after two decades working elsewhere for the Post, I assumed that readers of my education stories would...
By Jay Mathews | October 28, 2009; 10:00 PM ET | Comments (4)
School censorship without student input is not cool
Go to our education page and check out Nelson Hernandez's great story, and Valerie Strauss's Answer Sheet blog, on Churchill High students' fight for the right to produce the musical "Chicago," in the face of concern about religious and...
By Jay Mathews | October 28, 2009; 04:16 PM ET | Comments (0)
Harvard Schmarvard: Does more selective mean better?
The Inside Higher Ed Web site rightly picks out the latest research by Caroline Hoxby, a brilliant Stanford University economist very good at starting fights (see this post), as a most intriguing take on our national argument over getting...
By Jay Mathews | October 28, 2009; 11:56 AM ET | Comments (1)
Immigrant teachers exploited, districts don't notice
Greg Toppo of USA Today and Icess Fernandez of The (Shreveport, La.) Times have a disturbing cover story in the Life section of Wednesday's USA Today exposing the crimes of a Filipino recruiting firm that extorted big bucks out...
By Jay Mathews | October 28, 2009; 09:50 AM ET | Comments (1)
Minimum school leaving age nonsense
If you want to be convinced, once again, that politicians usually don't make good education policymakers, go to our education page and look for the "MoCo pushes for new age requirement" link. There you will find my colleague Nelson...
By Jay Mathews | October 27, 2009; 05:27 PM ET | Comments (2)
Is homework necessary?
I used to be Mr. Homework, frowning at all the hand-wringing softies who said we were hurting our kids by piling on the assignments. Two years ago I had a slight change of heart. I suggested, since research showed...
By Jay Mathews | October 27, 2009; 03:04 PM ET | Comments (19)
School improvement in the real world
Stanford University researcher Larry Cuban long ago proved himself among the most daring of pundits, willing to disparage the most popular education policies---like loading schools up with computers---when the data showed they weren't as effective as advertised. In his...
By Jay Mathews | October 27, 2009; 09:38 AM ET | Comments (5)
Latest from Chancellor Rhee
I say this often, but in teaching repetition is a virtue, and this applies to blogging also: Checking Bill Turque's latest post is always in your best interest. The Post's D.C. schools reporter has the latest from Chancellor Michelle...
By Jay Mathews | October 26, 2009; 05:13 PM ET | Comments (1)
How many times were you suspended?
Anyone interested in changing attitudes toward the good old school suspension should read Anthony E. Harris's startling piece Monday on page 2B of the Metro section. Then comment here on what you know of the popularity of this device...
By Jay Mathews | October 26, 2009; 10:47 AM ET | Comments (9)
My obit for Jerry Bracey
My obituary for the great media critic and insightful author Gerald W. Bracey, who supplied a ton of great quotes to a generation of education writers, ran Friday. Here it is....
By Jay Mathews | October 23, 2009; 05:50 PM ET | Comments (0)
Is cutting college to three years a good idea?
Newsweek's cover story, "The Three-Year Solution," by U.S. Senator and former Education Secretary and University of Tennessee president Lamar Alexander, has the great virtue of forcing a rethink of how we have been doing higher education for more than...
By Jay Mathews | October 21, 2009; 11:52 AM ET | Comments (3)
Making the grade not about race, but culture
The Post's brilliant and provocative teacher-essayist, Patrick Welsh, did it again Sunday in his Outlook section piece, "Making the Grade Isn't About Race. It's About Parents." Read it. You will find not only a vivid description of what motivates...
By Jay Mathews | October 20, 2009; 11:29 AM ET | Comments (23)
Solve These International Test Math Problems
Here are a few samples for readers whose appetite for math was whetted by my Monday column on international test comparisons:...
By Jay Mathews | October 19, 2009; 05:55 AM ET | Comments (0)
Don't Get Too Excited About Jump in D.C. Scores
Admit it. A lot of us are deeply invested in the argument over Michelle A. Rhee's tenure as chancellor of the D.C. schools. Is she a miracle or a monster? A smart educator or a bad administrator? So when...
By Jay Mathews | October 15, 2009; 08:42 AM ET | Comments (32)
Washington Post Raises Money for Students
As a company and a member of the Washington community, the Post has supported educational ventures for many decades. Washington Post Co. chair Don Graham's grandmother, Agnes Meyer, was a dogged supporter of better D.C. schools. His family has...
By Jay Mathews | October 13, 2009; 06:52 PM ET | Comments (1)
What Are the Best Moves Your Schools Ever Made?
I am suggesting we take a short break from our usual (but always useful) wallowing in what is wrong with our schools and their leaders, and briefly accentuate the positive. In my Monday column (just below this item on...
By Jay Mathews | October 12, 2009; 10:30 AM ET | Comments (11)
Educators Already Make No. Va. Schools Some of the Best
Political candidates, like the two gentlemen running for governor of Virginia, are always sincere about their education platforms. Their to-do lists are long. Their concern about the state’s children is deep. But the proposals they offer, like more efficiency at...
By Washington Post editors | October 12, 2009; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (1)
D.C. School Protestors--What's Your Plan?
My colleague Bob McCartney and our editorial writer on education issues--both friends of mine--offer somewhat contrasting views in the Sunday paper. As always the mugwump, I think they're both right. McCartney wisely points out that D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle...
By Jay Mathews | October 11, 2009; 09:54 AM ET | Comments (25)
How to Fight for Special Education
I have often wondered what I would do if I discovered I had a child with learning disabilities. The parents I have interviewed who have gone through this seem more patient and persistent than I am. I suspect they got...
By Washington Post editors | October 9, 2009; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (23)
D.C. Teacher Layoffs--Muddying the Path to Better Schools
The Washington Teachers Union seems to me justified in suing over the massive layoff of D.C. teachers. It is sad that so many educators removed by the firings appear to have been adding value to the school system. At...
By Jay Mathews | October 8, 2009; 08:42 AM ET | Comments (39)
Gifted Student Stifled--The School District Responds
Since the story of Drew Gamblin (see the column posted just below this item) does not put the Howard County schools in a favorable light, since the column in the paper had space for only a small part of...
By Jay Mathews | October 5, 2009; 03:45 PM ET | Comments (8)
One Reason Why Risky D.C. Teacher Evaluation Might Work
My colleague Bill Turque has a terrific story today about D.C. Schools Chancellor MIchelle Rhee's plan to evaluate the effectiveness of her teachers and get rid of those who are not helping students learn. The idea is full of risks....
By Jay Mathews | October 1, 2009; 01:55 PM ET | Comments (21)
10 Ways to Pick the Right School
[This is a piece I did for our Real Estate section. It ran in the Sept. 26 Post.---Jay] We say we are buying a house. But for most of us parents, the house is not the whole story. It...
By Jay Mathews | September 28, 2009; 03:00 PM ET | Comments (9)
Despite Test Scores, Shaw Is on the Right Track
On July 11, Brian Betts, principal of D.C.’s Shaw Middle School at Garnet-Patterson, was at Dulles International Airport about to leave for a vacation in Spain. He was feeling good. His first year running a school whose students struggle...
By Washington Post editors | September 28, 2009; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (7)
Bad Title, Mind-Changing Book
We education writers receive many books in the mail with terrible titles, real slumber-time stuff. Here are some on my bookshelf: “Learning and Understanding: Improving Advanced Study of Mathematics and Science in U.S. High Schools";| “Rethinking High School Graduation Rates...
By Washington Post editors | September 25, 2009; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (3)
Rhee's Latest Move: It's All About Principals
Anyone who thinks D.C. School Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee would consider holding back on last summer's hiring of 900 new teachers in the face of potential budget cuts just hasn't paid any attention to what she was doing before...
By Jay Mathews | September 24, 2009; 01:11 PM ET | Comments (11)
State Superintendent Supports Rhee Account
At the Struggle, we are proud of providing our readers the freshest news possible. To enrich our discussion of the cheating investigation, here is what I received a couple of minutes ago from D.C. State Superintendent of Education Kerri...
By Jay Mathews | September 23, 2009; 05:38 PM ET | Comments (4)
Seen Cheating? Tell Me About It.
Bless Bill Turque, the Post's D.C. schools correspondent, for his dogged coverage of the erasures in several schools that suggest all was not right with the 2008 administration of the D.C. Comprehensive Assessment System exams. His latest story on...
By Jay Mathews | September 23, 2009; 01:18 PM ET | Comments (7)
Testing Vet Reveals How to Fix Standardized Tests
Todd Farley has a new book: "Making the Grades: My Misadventures in the Standardized Testing Industry." It was an intriguing read, but I told him it didn't go far enough. He had dramatized the weaknesses in the many tests...
By Jay Mathews | September 22, 2009; 06:43 PM ET | Comments (4)
New Ammo For Charter Debate
The New York City Charter Schools Center is releasing Tuesday a new study showing that students who attend the city's charter schools do significantly better than similar students not picked in the annual random lotteries for charter school places....
By Jay Mathews | September 22, 2009; 04:01 AM ET | Comments (9)
Elite Schools Don't Make Elite People
I promised a high school counselor in California I would update a very old online column whose printout on her wall is too faded to read. It asked a question I think students immersed in college visiting and application writing...
By Jay Mathews | September 21, 2009; 03:19 PM ET | Comments (2)
Fixing the Teacher Certification Mess
I have no doubt our system for certifying teachers is broken. On Aug. 24, I wrote about a first-rate Prince George’s County teacher who was nearly fired because of official confusion over his certification credits. These are courses he must...
By Washington Post editors | September 18, 2009; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (8)
Jay & Valerie Debate Cheating
Class Struggle and colleague Valerie Strauss, of The Answer Sheet, disagree on what to do about accusations of D.C. educators covering up bad results on the annual DC-CAS tests. Jay argued for retests in his Monday column. Valerie saidthat...
By Jay Mathews | September 16, 2009; 02:49 PM ET | Comments (0)
Where Did the Least Admirable Go to College?
At the suggestion of mischievous friends, to accompany this column on where our heroes went to college, I looked up the alma maters of people with few, if any, admirers. Feel free to add to this list: con artist...
By Jay Mathews | September 15, 2009; 06:30 PM ET | Comments (0)
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...
By Jay Mathews | September 9, 2009; 04:41 PM ET | Comments (6)
Jay on the Web: Will Advanced Placement Replace the SAT?
This online column, now in its ninth year, used to be called "Class Struggle." When we shifted that name to my blog, including all three of my weekly columns plus my various rants and outbursts, and the more reasoned...
By Washington Post Editors | August 28, 2009; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (21)
Three Smart Rules for Home School Regulation
Homeschooling is the sleeping giant of the American education system. There are at least 1.7 million children being taught at home, a rough estimate because good data is hard to find and the number has been growing about 9...
By Washington Post Editors | August 21, 2009; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (29)
Jay on the Web: Pitfalls for Poor Students, Pt. 2
Yesterday, we wrote about Jay Mathews' column this week, which took on the conventional wisdom that talented, but poor, kids are often turned away from college. Jay challenged readers to point to a real life example of this happening and...
By Washington Post Editors | August 12, 2009; 02:04 PM ET | Comments (0)
What the SAT-optional Colleges Don’t Tell You
I don’t much like the SAT. When the SAT-optional movement began to gain momentum a few years ago, I cheered. Dozens of colleges told their applicants that if they didn’t want to submit their SAT or ACT scores, they didn’t...
By Washington Post editors | July 31, 2009; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (40)
They Messed With the Wrong Blogger
Michele Kerr (she tells me it is pronounced “cur”) is a hard-working educator and Web surfer who is often mean to me. This is probably a good thing. When I post something stupid, Kerr—using her nom de Internet, “Cal...
By Washington Post editors | July 24, 2009; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (85)
Jay on the Web: Joy and Equality in Public Education
Houston high school teacher, Jesse Alred, of the Examiner, wrote an interesting analysis of one of Jay Mathews' columns about balancing hard work with play and injecting more joy into the classroom. Alred agrees with Mathews on "the joy factor,"...
By Sarah Mimms | July 23, 2009; 02:01 PM ET | Comments (2)
Jay on the Web: Which Makes A Bigger Difference - Good Teachers or Administrative Processes?
This week, Elena Silva of The Quick and the Ed blog took issue with Jay Mathews' critique of "Leading for Equity: The Pursuit of Excellence in Montgomery County Public Schools," a recent book about the successes of the Montgomery Public...
By Sarah Mimms | July 22, 2009; 01:11 AM ET | Comments (3)
Jay on the Web: Will Technology Save Our Kids?
Looking ahead, education policy soothsayers Terry M. Moe and John E. Chubb see our electronic miracle devices finally doing what we have long been promised — making our children better educated. I would shrug their new book off as more...
By Washington Post Editors | July 17, 2009; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (1)
Jay on the Web: Middle Class Children in KIPP
It has been a while since I had a guest columnist in this space. I have never before turned the blog over to one younger than my own children. So let me introduce Catharine Bellinger, a Princeton sophomore who...
By Washington Post Editors | July 10, 2009; 10:46 AM ET | Comments (2)
Jay on the Web: What's the Best Model for School Reform?
Dwayne Betts, a D.C. school teacher, has an interesting and thoughtful post on school reform on Ta-Nehisi Coates' blog over at The Atlantic. Betts has a small quibble with Jay Mathews, who profiled the Knowledge Is Power Program of charter...
By Washington Post Editors | July 8, 2009; 03:48 PM ET | Comments (2)
Jay on the Web: Can Unions and KIPP Schools Co-exist?
Mike Klonsky has some strong words for Jay Mathews on his recent column about unions and charter schools. In the piece, Jay argues that union demands might swamp the progress that one Baltimore KIPP school has shown under the direction...
By Washington Post Editors | July 1, 2009; 03:10 PM ET | Comments (0)
Jay on the Web: Is AP the Only Way to Challenge Students?
Every year, Jay Mathews compiles The Challenge Index, a ranking of schools based on a simple formula - the number of AP, IB, and other college-level tests given out at any given high school divided by the total number of...
By Sarah Mimms | June 24, 2009; 10:32 AM ET | Comments (3)
Jay on the Web: Michelle Rhee's Report Card
Post reporter Bill Turque took an in-depth look at Michelle Rhee's first two-years as a chancellor of D.C. schools over the weekend, and Jay weighed in with a three-part sit-down interview with Rhee. For the Post's takeaway, see this item...
By Washington Post Editors | June 17, 2009; 01:39 PM ET | Comments (2)
Jay on the Web: Why Michelle Rhee Is Wrong on Merit Pay for Teachers
Jay Mathews wrote in Monday's column that charter schools -- not Michelle Rhee's plan -- offer a good model for merit pay for teachers: Rhee has proposed paying teachers as much as $135,000 a year based on achievement gains,...
By Washington Post Editors | June 3, 2009; 11:08 AM ET | Comments (6)
Jay on the Web: Mathews on KIPP Charter Schools
Jay's latest book, "Work Hard. Be Nice."chronicles a breed of charter schools called the Knowledge is Power Program, or KIPP. KIPP has had stunning success at improving the test scores of low-income students by focusing on mentoring, rigorous student...
By Washington Post Editors | May 27, 2009; 12:32 PM ET | Comments (0)
Would Schools Be Better Off If Fewer or More Students Took AP Tests?
A little while ago, Jay called for schools to allow more students to take Advanced Placement tests. The column has spurred an ongoing conversation between Jay and the Assorted Stuff blog. Here's Assorted Stuff's latest post (with two minor edits):...
By Washington Post Editors | May 20, 2009; 02:23 PM ET | Comments (3)
How to Spend $100 Billion to Fix Schools (Cont.)
Readers, bless them, buried us in votes and comments when we asked them last week to rank 10 ideas for fixing America’s schools with the expected $100 billion in education stimulus funds, and offer their own suggestions. The top five...
By Washington Post editors | May 19, 2009; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (9)
Jay on the Web: A Libertarian View on Fixing the Nation's Schools
Jay's recent column on ways to fix the nation's schools drew a strong reaction from the libertarian Cato Institute. Writing on Cato@Liberty, David Boaz argues the way to fix the nation's schools is to create competition: "Why don’t we...
By Washington Post Editors | May 13, 2009; 01:52 PM ET | Comments (8)
Jay on the Web: Does Energy Outweigh Experience When It Comes to Teachers?
Jay has been generating some buzz on the web with his take last week on whether experience or energy matters most when it comes to improving education at schools in low income neighborhoods. It was a response to this Post...
By Washington Post Editors | May 6, 2009; 11:23 AM ET | Comments (3)
Jay on the Web: "Bubble Kids" and High Stakes Tests
In a discussion of a recent Jay Mathew's column about about whether low performing students are being adequately served in schools' scramble to pass high stakes tests, Public School Insights gives Mathews some extra credit: You have to admire Washington...
By Washington Post Editors | April 29, 2009; 03:27 PM ET | Comments (1)
A Debate Over Testing and Low Performing Students
In his column Monday, Jay focused on how D.C. schools may do a disservice to low performing students in their quest to pass the high stakes DC-CAS tests. The "More" Child blog has a bone to pick: Reading that, all...
By Washington Post Editors | April 22, 2009; 12:32 PM ET | Comments (0)
A Dissenting View on the Knowledge is Power Program
In discussions about Jay Mathews from around the web, Kentucky School News and Commentary takes issue with Mathew's take on the Knowledge is Power Progam: In his new book, "Work Hard. Be Nice.," Jay Mathews claims that the Knowledge is...
By Washington Post Editors | April 15, 2009; 02:17 AM ET | Comments (3)
Jay on the Web: Readers on KIPP, Vouchers and Parental Involvement
Jay's work often spurs comment and discussion not only on this site, but elsewhere. Here's a look at some recent comment, response and more from around the Web. From Schools Matter: Mathews's convenient untruth would have the entire KIPP Fresno...
By Washington Post Editors | April 1, 2009; 11:39 AM ET | Comments (0)
On the Web: Readers on KIPP, Charter Schools
Jay's work often spurs comment and discussion not only on this site, but elsewhere. Here's a look at some recent comment, response and more from around the Web. From Advocating on Madison Public Schools: It is no secret that Mathews...
By Washington Post Editors | March 25, 2009; 10:35 AM ET | Comments (1)
On the Web: Response to the Economic Stimulus, AP, More
Jay's work often spurs comment and discussion not only on this site, but elsewhere. Here's a look at some recent comment, response and more from around the Web. From BoardBuzz: BoardBuzz caught our friend Jay Matthews’ column in yesterday’s Washington...
By Washington Post Editors | March 18, 2009; 01:54 PM ET | Comments (0)
On the Web: Reaction to Class Size Debate
Joanne Jacobs: Hiring (and supporting) better teachers is more important than keeping classes small, argues Jay Mathews on his Washington Post blog...High-quality schools in low-income neighborhoods typically focus on improving instruction, not on offering small classes. Classes small enough to...
By Washington Post Editors | March 4, 2009; 10:27 AM ET | Comments (1)
On the Web: Jay's Book, KIPP Thoughts
Here's what other people are saying about Jay Mathews this week: Innovating from the Bottom-Up: I'm into page 107 of Jay Mathews' book which chronicles the experience of two young teachers - Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin - who've transformed...
By Washington Post Editors | February 25, 2009; 10:15 AM ET | Comments (0)
On the Web: Shouts for Schools' Value
Here's what other people are saying about Jay Mathews this week: themorechild.com: I must give credit where credit is due, and give a positive shout out to Jay Mathews for yesterday’s column, “Boosting Schools’ Value Without Spending a Dime.” He...
By Washington Post Editors | February 18, 2009; 10:27 AM ET | Comments (0)
On the Web: KIPP Conversations and Local Test Scores
Here's what other people are saying about Jay Mathews this week: GothamSchools: Among those who have commented on Elizabeth’s post about journalist Jay Mathews’ seven KIPP myths are one of the charter school chain’s most vocal critics; a graduate of...
By Washington Post Editors | February 11, 2009; 01:49 PM ET | Comments (1)
Jay on the Web?
Check out Class Struggle on Wednesdays to see what other journalists, bloggers and education wonks are saying about Jay Mathews. Read the full archive of Jay on the Web here....
By Washington Post Editors | November 30, 2008; 11:21 AM ET | Comments (0)
