Jay Mathews

Jay Mathews is an education writer and columnist who worked at The Washington Post from 1971 through 2022. He studied government at Harvard College and East Asian regional studies at Harvard University. Mathews created the Challenge Index, an annual ranking of American high schools, and has received honors including the Eugene Meyer Award for distinguished service to The Washington Post and the Upton Sinclair Award.

He is the author of Harvard Schmarvard: Getting Beyond the Ivy League to the College That Is Best for You (2003), as well as books including Escalante: The Best Teacher in America, Work Hard. Be Nice., Supertest, Question Everything, and An Optimist’s Guide to American Public Education.