by Jack Jennings | Sep 4, 2018 | academic standards, accountability, education research, federal education policy, federal funding, No Child Left Behind, politics, Race to the Top, school funding, teacher evaluations, teachers, testing
In December 2015, when President Barack Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) — replacing the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 — congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle breathed a deep sigh of relief. Not only had NCLB grown...
by Jack Jennings | Sep 4, 2018 | civics education, democratic values, Uncategorized
If dentistry was considered a “dirty” profession, would we be surprised that people who became dentists were not of the highest quality? Think for a moment about your opinion of politics and of politicians. https://t.co/W5xhxmBRr8 https://t.co/aeiCCBSmCy...
by Jack Jennings | Sep 4, 2018 | civics education, democratic values, Uncategorized
When I was young, my parents bought a house in a neighborhood that German and Swedish Protestants were leaving because they did not want to live with Irish, Polish, Italian and other Catholics. Despite that feeling, we all survived, prospered, and even married those...
by Jack Jennings | Jul 10, 2018 | federal education policy, job-related education, job-related training
President Trump has frequently talked about eliminating the U.S. Department of Education. Now, he proposes to merge it with the Department of Labor, citing the need for greater efficiency in government. Using that tactic, he seeks to achieve indirectly what he had...
by Jack Jennings | Jun 21, 2018 | graduation rate, teacher evaluations, teacher performance, teachers, testing
DC’s public schools’ progress is tainted by some phony “improvement” due to enormous pressure to produce higher graduation rates and test scores. Better education will come when the emphasis is on real factors such as teacher quality....
by Jack Jennings | Jun 18, 2018 | teachers
Teachers’ views have not been accorded the weight they deserve in seeking school improvement. Just the opposite–teachers have been unfairly blamed for the lack of progress. Listen to John Thompson for some realism from the classroom....
by Jack Jennings | Jun 7, 2018 | school funding
State and national leaders were given a grade of D minus by Ed Week showing a lack of commitment to adequately fund the schools, despite rhetoric about education’s importance. “Watch what someone does–not what they say,” to see their real...
by Jack Jennings | Jan 12, 2018 | advocating, politics
To win elections, it is helpful to have a disliked opponent. People are more motivated to vote against someone than they are to vote for someone, according to an old adage. The dreams of Democrats to have such opponents could not be better fulfilled than to...
by Jack Jennings | Nov 11, 2017 | advocating, politics, school funding, teachers
Corporations and the rich will pay less in taxes. Public education will be weakened. Revenge on Democratic-leaning states will be extracted. This trifecta of disastrous results comes from the budget bill passed in late October by the House and by the Senate a...
by Jack Jennings | Nov 10, 2017 | children with disabilities, school funding
Future leaders often seem to come from high school debate teams. Students participate in these debates because they are interested in current affairs and want to hone their public speaking skills. The National Federation of State High School Associations has announced...
