Washington, D.C.
November 13, 2015
The following statement was issued by Jeanne Allen, Founder and President-Emeritus of The Center for Education Reform:
We were devastated by the news of the passing of John E. Chubb, one of the truly most impactful people of the entire school choice movement and an intellectual giant. Scholar, executive, educator and friend, he will be sorely missed.
When I me
t John Chubb he was at Brookings and I was at Heritage. His path breaking book – with Terry Moe – Politics, Markets and America’s Schools transformed the way we think of school choice. His was a dispassionate, non-ideological conclusion, grounded in science and effective schools research. It would unite people from across the spectrum and influence the rise of common sense education reforms. Choice IS a panacea, he and Terry dared to say. They were – and are – right. I reached out to John when I founded the Center and for more than 10 years he was one of our most engaged board members. His contribution was enormous. John was also among the most generous and serious of scholars – and would share his time and his intellect to teach and mentor those who sought his help.
Beyond the sadness we all feel for John and his family, I am personally sad for the education reform movement. This individual, whose contributions are not as well-known today to the newer generations, wrote and spoke and worked on behalf of the conclusions his science first revealed were the right formula for improving schools. He implored us, as recently as the class he taught for our EdReformU students last winter, to consider that parental choice is the most effective and highest level of accountability for education.
Many who should know better no longer know this, or remember it, or even believe it. On behalf of and in tribute to John, The Center for Education Reform will provide ever-constant reminders, continually, until we as a nation get it right.
Our prayers go out to Angela, the kids and his entire family.