Jay Mathews

Pasadena, CA

Education writer and columnist

Education: Harvard College, BA in government; Harvard University, MA in East Asian regional studies

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 bestseller. He created and supervises the annual Challenge Index rankings of American high schools. He has won several awards for education writing and was given the Upton Sinclair award as “a beacon of light in the realm of education.” He has won the Eugene Meyer Award for distinguished service to The Washington Po
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Latest from Jay Mathews

Let’s make college admission fair, while celebrating unselective college products like my brilliant new boss

We should consider why U.S. colleges work so well for so many people and should celebrate the successful people coming out of colleges that don’t rank so high on vaunted rankings and don’t reject the vast majority of their applicants.

March 13, 2022

Online falsehoods plague us, but should we depend on schools to cure that ill?

Students are falling victim to online misinformation, but should schools spend the time teaching them to detect fraud when they are still not receiving enough time to master reading, writing, math, science and history?

March 6, 2022

Do ultra-selective colleges change lives? I say usually not, but this much richer author says yes.

A new college admissions guide from an admissions coach is aimed at students seeking entry into top colleges

February 27, 2022

New Jersey’s governor blocked the growth of its best charter schools. Why?

Why has New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s chief education official told seven high-performing public charter schools, including one of the best in the country, that they cannot expand their enrollments?

February 20, 2022

Will there be big education changes after pandemic? No, but look deeper.

Historian of schools sees good news in recent pandemic turmoil, plus long-term education advances we haven’t noticed

February 13, 2022

What to do about affirmative action? Learn from the unstoppable Dominique Mejia.

If the Supreme Court rules against race-conscious admissions, there may still be other ways to get low-income students of color into college.

February 6, 2022

Blew the big exam? Forget about taking it home to figure out why.

At a time in which we seem to be giving more attention to parent complaints about how their children are taught, let's loosen old rules.

January 30, 2022

Shockingly good news about New York City public high schools

January 23, 2022

Why not lottery admissions for great high schools? It’s not church bingo.

The pushback that can come when lotteries are proposed for selective high school admissions.

January 16, 2022

One of biggest, best charter networks stumbles but still grows

IDEA, the Texas-based public charter network, is expanding and moving forward following change in leadership.

January 9, 2022