by Jack Jennings | Sep 18, 2020 | Fatigued by School Reform: articles, interviews, and more, politics
This summer, school leaders faced unprecedented challenges in preparing for the opening of the current school year. Crucial issues included the following: • Could students be taught to keep a distance from one another? • Was there enough room in buildings to provide...
by Jack Jennings | Sep 4, 2018 | academic standards, accountability, education research, federal education policy, federal funding, No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), politics, Race to the Top (RTTT), school funding, teachers, tests / assessments
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 | Apr 18, 2018 | politics
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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 | Jul 11, 2017 | civics education, politics
Yesterday, as usual, we talked now and again about President Trump and politics. As much as we try to avoid the topic, it sharply intrudes into our daily lives. We voted against Trump, and are upset about the direction that the country is taking. Living in Washington,...
by Jack Jennings | May 31, 2017 | advocating, civics education, politics
The country is so politically divided that people increasingly are not tolerant of different views or respectful of others. This is not simply a lack of good manners. It is a blow to a democratic society. After a half century’s involvement in Washington policy-making,...
by Jack Jennings | May 23, 2016 | federal education policy, politics, private schools / vouchers / and other choice
Public schools would be better if two major obstacles were removed. Teachers’ unions have injected too much partisanship into schooling, and conservatives have undercut the promise of a good education for all students. These two issues are interconnected. The more the...
