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Results of D.C. principal's controversial methods need to outweigh criticism

September 3, 2010

Dwan Jordon, more quickly than any principal I have ever known, has made a name for himself in D.C. public schools.

Scores affect college choice but not necessarily success

September 3, 2010

I wrote a story several years ago about great people who got terrible SAT scores. If you are wallowing in shame over your score in May, and quiver at the thought of taking the SAT again in October, consider the case of Bob Edgar, who got 730 out of a possible 1600. (That would be a 1100 or so on this era's 2400-point scale.)

Rhee should take herself out of D.C. mayor's race

September 3, 2010

I can't blame D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee for getting herself pulled into the D.C. mayor's race. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty wants her support. She wouldn't have her job if it had not been for him.

Words to the wise about writing college application essays

September 3, 2010

I had lunch recently with two rising 12th-graders at the Potomac School in McLean. They are very bright students. They told me they had signed up for a course in column-

Jay Mathews: Summer school is a great tool, if only more students would use it

September 3, 2010

This Wednesday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Brent Elementary School at 301 North Carolina Ave. SE, the D.C. public schools will hold a chancellor's forum on how to add useful learning to your child's summer. Several groups, such as the D.C. Public Library, the University of the District of Columbia Science and Engineering Center, and even Madame Tussaud's, will have booths about their summer programs.

Reader complains about Hispanic students who take AP Spanish

September 3, 2010

Early last Monday , while I was still in bed and wondering why the "Today" show had gotten so tabloidish, I was slammed on my washingtonpost.com blog by a reader who did not like my column about Doris Jackson, the principal at Wakefield High School in Arlington County.

Jay Mathews: A tough principal helps make a great school

September 3, 2010

When Doris Jackson, a former guidance counselor known for her warmth, replaced tough-minded Marie Djouadi as principal of Wakefield High School in 2002, some people assumed that school problems would henceforth always be handled with a soft voice and a warm embrace. They were wrong.

College campus visit: Keep it simple, make it fun

September 3, 2010

I have three children. All went to college.

D.C. contract is just the tool to let creative, renegade teachers soar

September 3, 2010

The new contract ratified by D.C. teachers has inspired speculation about who is going to get the most out of it. Will Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee be able to impose her test-driven evaluation system with no more teacher resistance? Will the American Federation of Teachers, and its president, Randi Weingarten, garner new prestige and influence for endorsing reform?