Jay Mathews

Jay Mathews is an education columnist for The Washington Post, his employer for nearly 50 years. He is the author of nine books, including five about high schools. His 2009 book "Work Hard. Be Nice." about the birth and growth of the KIPP charter school network was a New York Times best-seller. He created and supervises the annual Challenge Index rankings known as America's Most Challenging High Schools.

Education

Why CMS, And All Schools, Should Open Up Advanced Classes To Every Student

Jay Mathews

GUEST COLUMN:Although the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools have one of the highest rates of college-level test participation in the country, they have not…
Education

What Is The Challenge Index And How It Came To Be

Jay Mathews

GUEST COLUMN:The list for America’s Most Challenging High Schools began in 1998 as a way to dramatize a deep, unreported flaw I had discovered in the way…
Education

Is CMS Challenging Enough? A Look At The District Through The Challenge Index

Jay Mathews

GUEST COLUMN:Twenty years ago, at a critical moment in the history of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, data analyst Mike Huggins wheeled a cart stacked…