Jack Jennings – Education
Upon graduating from Northwestern School of Law and passing the bar, Jack Jennings found his way to Washington, DC to begin a career in education policy and politics spanning over fifty years.
Jack Jennings served as president and CEO for the Center on Education Policy, a nonpartisan, Washington, nonprofit focused on education research. Over the course of 27 years, Jack was subcommittee staff director, followed by general counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Education and Labor.

Jack Jennings’s latest book is
Find out more at Jack Jennings Education.
Jack Jennings on Education: Popular Blog Posts
An Honor
"The 100 Best Education Reform Books of All Time," includes Presidents, Congress, and the Public Schools by Jack Jennings. BookAuthority developed this list of the best books in education as it does in other fields. Jennings' book placed 32rd on that list, as of...
Veteran Policy Analyst Shows Ways for School System Improvement: a Podcast by Jack Jennings
July 6, 2020 Host: Richard M. Long, executive director, Learning First Alliance Guest: Jack Jennings, founder, former president and CEO for the Center on Education Policy Fatigued by School Reform, a new book by Jack Jennings, argues that school reform has been both...
Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) Webinar on Jack Jennings’s “Fatigued by School Reform”
On June 29, 2020, the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) sponsored a Webinar on Fatigued by School Reform, a new book by Jack Jennings. CAL’s Dr. Joel Gomez provided an introduction, and Dr. Roberta Miceli served as moderator of the session. Trey Calvin, CAL’s...
Learning First Alliance Blog: Fatigued by School Reform Shows How Washington Gets It Wrong
"In his new book, veteran policy analyst Jack Jennings shows how federal initiatives have missed the critical issues in K-12 education and society." Read more on the Learning First Alliance Blog.
Fatigued by School Reform: A Book Talk with Jack Jennings
Loretta Goodwin, Deputy Director at the American Youth Policy Forum, interviewed Mr. Jennings in a webinar on June 4, 2020, about his new book, Fatigued by School Reform, published by Rowman and Littlefield (2020). Mr. Jennings's book is available here:...
Endorsements of Fatigued by School Reform
Anne T. Henderson, Senior Consultant, National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement"This clear-eyed, no-nonsense book contends that the past 50 years of education reform initiatives have managed to miss the most important part of the puzzle:...
Fatigued by School Reform, an Interview with Jack Jennings
An interview with Jack Jenningsby Jeff Glebocki, Founder & Lead Advisor, Strategy + Action/Philanthropy Originally posted at Strategy + Action/Philanthropy In his new book, “Fatigued by School Reform,” Jack Jennings calls out policy makers, funders and the school...
Jack Jennings’s new book, Fatigued by School Reform, available to order 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 backgrounds of...
Trump’s Plan for Education Fails Smell Test
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...
Why are teachers angry?
Insultingly low wages for many, more students needing extra assistance, and great pressure to raise student test scores and graduation rates. Meanwhile, politicians orate about the importance of education....
Better education will come when the emphasis is on real factors such as teacher quality
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....
Teachers’ views have not been heeded
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....
Advice for Democrats
“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…”
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 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 a new agenda to improve the nation’s schools. After a renewed law is enacted, the remnant will be some federal funds to the states for school improvement but no clear national vision on how to bring about better schools.