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 . . .
Podcasts: What are they?
read more
education research
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...
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...
Jack Jennings’s new book, Fatigued by School Reform, available now!
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 school. Those reforms missed the mark because they were not focused on the...
Japanese Translation
Politics of American Education Reform: 50-Year Struggle in Search of Equity is the title of the Japanese translation of Presidents, Congress, and the Public Schools with additional content to bring the book up to date for the time of its publishing. In November 2018,...
National Assessment of Educational Progress
The only valid national assessment of the nation’s public schools must be improved.
It’s time to redefine the federal role in K-12 education
The current federal education law rests on the same faulty foundation as the last law.
Trump’s Wrong About the Schools
“(A)n education system flush with cash but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge.” President Trump broadcast this biting condemnation in his inaugural address. A short time later, Trump proposed cutting education spending by 13%....
A Military Solution for Education: Memorandum on Methodology
This memorandum explains the methodology used to determine the total amount spent for primary and secondary education by the nations of the world. It also explains how much U.S. expenditures would have to increase to reach a third of that total.
Multilingualism Is a National Asset, Not a Personal Shame
The United States has a great strength: people in our country understand the languages of nearly every nation in the world. Large scale immigration--almost 30 million people during the past three decades--has brought us that advantage. The ability to speak other...
A Nation Adrift
Today, attention is on the Congress as it addresses changes to the No Child Left Behind Act. That action is overdue since the law expired eight years ago. But, it must be understood that congressional amendments are merely removing unpopular requirements, not creating...
Title I: Replace the “Belle of the Ball”?
Fifty years ago, President Lyndon Johnson launched a campaign to improve education, especially of children from low-income families. An unprecedented billion dollars of new aid was sent to the schools under the first part or "title" of the Elementary and Secondary...
After Cleaning up the NCLB Mess, Then What?
Congress is finally grappling with which parts of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) ought to be repealed or retained. Various officials, and the president who must sign the final agreement, have different lists. After the squabbling, a shadow of a national school...
Interviews about Jack Jennings’s new book, Presidents, Congress, and the Public Schools: The Politics of Education Reform
In the last six months, there have been four radio and webinar interviews with Jack Jennings about Presidents, Congress, and the Public Schools. This list of the interviews contains the working web connections as of May 23, 2015. At times, those web addresses change...
Presentation and Signing: Jack Jennings’s new book, Presidents, Congress, and the Public Schools: The Politics of Education Reform
ESEA at 50
The Phi Delta Kappan magazine (April 2015) contains an article written by Jack Jennings on the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the fundamental federal law in the area of education. ESEA at 50 should be available through http://pdk.sagepub.com/content/96/7.toc.
From Negative to Positive School Reform
Test-driven accountability has produced a negative atmosphere for school reform, without fulfilling its promise of general improvement. The country must move to a positive, long-term improvement strategy based on research and educators’ experiences. The following article by Jack Jennings, which appeared in Education Week the week of February 23, 2015, describes this need drawing from his book, Presidents, Congress, and the Public Schools (Harvard Education Press).
An “Informed” Consumer of Students’ Test Scores
When shopping for a car, dishwasher, or cell phone, a prospective buyer will often go to the Consumer Reports to learn about important aspects of the possible purchase. How does the product's performance compare to that of its competitors--and why? What are an item's...
Making Neighborhood Schools Better: Hard Work, Not Magic
Many people hope that magic solutions can be found to improve low-performing schools. Philanthropists, hedge fund millionaires, and others interested in reform have put their funds and faith in charter schools or virtual learning, as though these approaches have...
The Power to Motivate
The classic scene from a sports movie occurs in the locker room at half time when the coach delivers a rousing speech to motivate the players to win. Beneath this cliché lies a basic truth -- that in sports, the desire of the players to do their best is as essential...
Have We Gotten It Wrong on School Reform?
Benchmarking is popular in business. After studying the performance of the top companies in a particular arena, other companies emulate the leaders' best practices seeking the same level of success. This method has made its way into education. For example, the new...
A Serious Step Backward
During last month's Republican primary debate in Orlando, something very significant -- and dangerous -- happened. All of the candidates agreed that education should not be a concern of the federal government. Romney said the federal government should get out of...