Welcome
I’m Jack Jennings. My web site is dedicated to the improvement of public education by using objective analyses based on sound data.
Several years ago, at a congressional hearing which I had organized, committee chair Gus Hawkins asked the disputing witnesses if they could at least agree on what the data showed. The witnesses were taken aback and did not know how to respond. They could only repeat their earlier testimony which was irrelevant to the question. In fact, they were using data not as a guide but rather as a way to support their previously determined positions.
My beliefs were greatly influenced by my experiences in the 27 years I worked for the U.S. Congress. This career was made possible by four Congressmen who were leaders of the Committee on Education and Labor in the House of Representatives. Although these men represented very different parts of the country, they shared a belief that the federal government had a role in education.
Roman Pucinski of Chicago, Carl Perkins of Kentucky, Gus Hawkins of Los Angeles, and Bill Ford of suburban Detroit each believed that the federal government ought to work to improve education and to encourage people to gain as much schooling and training as possible.
Congressman Pucinski, hired me just out of law school, Congressmen Perkins, Hawkins, and Ford retained and promoted me although they had no obligation to do so. In 1995, that portion of my career ended when I retired. I am grateful for the opportunity to create legislation to improve education despite obstacles as seen in the earlier reference to the Hawkins hearing. A specially critical area is aid for poor children, with controversies over accountability, tuition vouchers, and many other ideas.
To help you with your research, the material is arranged by topic and by date published. Also, the newest entries are shown below.
The idea behind Oldies But Goodies is that earlier postings which are still relevant in today’s policy debates ought to be brought back for another viewing. Several times a month different ones will be posted mostly from a pool of 43 blogs that I wrote for the HuffPost. If you can’t wait and want to read all those blogs, go to https://www.huffpost.com/author/jackjenningsdc-435
Oldies But Goodies
A Civil Right to a Good Education (January 2012)
The results of the latest student test results were disappointing. Both PISA, an internationally sponsored exam, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the U.S. government tests, found that students’ education suffered during the pandemic. Particularly sad were the low scores of children from the families with the lowest incomes.
American educators are working to reverse these trends, but they need help.
The U.S. should enact a law requiring that every child receive a good education. If necessary, this statute could be limited in its range to class action lawsuits and not permit an individual right to sue. That provision would make the administration of the law more manageable without limiting its effectiveness.
We must do more than we are doing now and we should do it in a different way. How many more reports do we need?
Below is a blog I wrote in January, 2012 about this issue for the HuffPost. Jack Jennings
by Jack Jennings, first published by the HuffPost on January 30, 2012.
Literary Works by Jack Jennings
I have had three careers in my life: working for Congress for 27 years, establishing and running a Washington-based think tank, and writing fiction. My first attempt in this new career was the following article on getting older.
Fatigued by School Reform
Latest book by Jack Jennings available online and at many bookstores.
Fatigued by School Reform, by Jack Jennings
After a half-a-century of school reform, a majority of Americans consider the public schools as worse today than when they attended them. This book concludes that the country’s major reforms missed the mark because they did not address adequately the great influence of family backgrounds on school success, as the Coleman Report of 1966 clearly documented.
Fatigued by School Reform shows the importance of involving parents in their children’s education, and helping poor and lower middle class students to overcome the limitations of low socio-economic status. Also essential is raising teacher quality.
A fundamental part of school reform, however, has been ignored by almost all reformers. If economic and social conditions are improved leading to better family backgrounds, student performance should also improve. Students’ family backgrounds are that influential.
This book was published in 2020. A year later President Biden secured one-year funding that would reduce the number of poor children in school by nearly one-half. Senator Bennet (Dem. Colo.) said that this change was really school reform.
As of summer 2022, Biden and Bennet’s one-year funding has not been extended; both, however, have said they will continue to press forward. Fatigued by School Reform shows the need for this policy or for similar changes.
Long-lasting school improvement is dependent on factors outside the school building. That is the key conclusion of this book.
Available now at:
La Reforma Educativa Federal ha fallado ampliamente
This is a translation of an article which appeared in September 2024 in Education Week. The original English version of the article also appears on this site. In English the title of the article is Federal Education Reform Has Largely Failed. Unfortunately, We Still...
Federal Education Reform Has Largely Failed. Unfortunately, We Still Need It
School reform has faded as an issue, but must be revived. History will judge us not by the number of times we stumbled but by the number of times we picked ourselves up and tried again. An article for Education Week (PDF, 1397KB).
Podcasts: What are they?
This article is about the characteristics of podcasts and their growing use. Jack Jennings was the author of this article which was published by The Clarion, Chicago, on November 15, 2023. Read more . . .
Mike Smith, a well-deserved tribute
In the days ahead, friends will convene to honor the life and deeds of Marshall Smith. Popularly known as "Mike," he was a master in the area of education policy, leaving a lasting imprint on American school reform. Few people in the country have had a career as broad...
EdFix Episode 37: Policy Perspectives and Possibilities – A Conversation with Jack Jennings
This link connects to the EdFix site of George Washington University, which contains podcasts on education produced and maintained by GW's Graduate School of Education. The following is a transcript of Edfix Episode 37: Political Perspectives and Possibilities, which...
Higher Wages Would Attract, Keep Better Teachers
To see two conservative think tanks releasing a study disparaging public education is about as surprising as hearing the weatherman announce that the sun is setting tonight. The conservative movement has long used "studies" faulting public education as a way to move...
Private Schools Are Not Better than Public Schools
In a new book, Jack Jennings reviews the history of American private education and weighs its worth in today’s society. These schools provide an alternative for parents with concerns about public schools. But, proponents of private education are claiming academic...
The Three Ps — Policeman, Politician, Priest
Many young American men of Irish descent created their job careers in three particular areas -- policeman; politician; priest -- the "Three Ps". Why was that? Vignettes are given of how a typical family affected by the "Three Ps" lived in Chicago from 1940 to 1980....
Girlie — How the play came about
An article written by Jack Jennings, published in The Clarion "I wonder what became of the other folks?" was a comment from one of the first people to read "Girlie," a play that I finished writing in October. Elly, Tommie, Birch, Mrs. Herrity, and Mrs. Sweeney are...
Girlie, a play by Jack Jennings
Whether to run off with her lover or stay in a difficult but comfortable marriage is the question facing the heroine of this two-act play written by Jack Jennings. The script for the stageplay Girlie is downloadable, below. Also, "Girlie", an article written by Jack...
Fatigued by School Reform presentation to the Friars Club at the Clare in Chicago
On July 21, 2021, Jack Jennings made a presentation to the Friars Club at the Clare in Chicago. Jennings summarized his latest book, Fatigued by School Reform, but also talked about the general condition of public schools in America. Note: There are some silent places...
Narrative Biography
The New York State Archives maintains a trove of information on the relationship between the federal and the state governments on their dealings in education. In 2013-14, Jack Jennings was one of the advisors to that project. This is the biography the Archives used...
An Unexpected Letter
On June 21, 2021, a letter was received about Fatigued by School Reform. It follows: Dear Jack, Sorry to be so late responding to your book. I think it is brilliant! It is clear, comprehensive, astute and a masterpiece of brevity. To cover the time period you did in...
Fatigued by School Reform: Presentation to the Alliance for Educational Impact, June 8, 2021, by Jack Jennings
On June 8th, 2021, the Alliance for Educational Impact sponsored a discussion of Fatigued by School Reform, Jack Jennings' latest book. Participants included local school superintendents, school improvement providers, members of state boards of education, university...
The American Rescue Plan Act: The Most Significant School Reform Since the 1960’s
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed legislation to deal with the pandemic and the Nation’s economic problems. Included in this measure are provisions meant to reduce the number of children in poverty by one-third to one-half. Un-noted in this debate has been the...
Los Pensamientos de un Anciano
Ser anciano es ser más débil, un recuerdo que el carácter de una persona, ni fuerza ni belleza, es la cosa más importante. Ser anciano es conocer la muerte, por lo tanto el tiempo pasado con los seres amados es precioso. Ser anciano es sufrir el dolor física y...
Thoughts on Being Old
To be old is to be physically weaker, a reminder that a person’s true character, not strength or beauty, is what counts. To be old is to be familiar with death, showing the value of spending time with loved ones. To be old is to suffer pain both physical and...
SUPER REVIEW!
The book, Fatigued by School Reform, has received a great review from a very prestigious publication. Choice Magazine, affiliated with the Association of College and Research Libraries, describes itself as "an authoritative source on the evaluation of scholarly...
An Essential Question
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...
An Honor
“The 100 Best Education Reform Books of All Time,” includes Presidents, Congress, and the Public Schools written by Jack Jennings. On July 10, 2020. the BookAuthority, which had developed this listing of the best books, displayed on its web site their titles and...