Jay Mathews is a Washington Post education columnist and has created the Post's annual America's Most Challenging High Schools rankings. He has won several prizes, including the Benjamin Fine Award for Outstanding Education Reporting for both features and column writing, and is the author of nine books, including Escalante: The Best Teacher in America, about the teacher who was immortalized in the movie Stand and Deliver, and Work Hard. Be Nice, about the rise of the KIPP charter school network. He has spoken throughout the country on the need to bring challenging lessons to all students and release the untapped potential of low-income American children.