Jack Roberts Jue grew up with educational opportunities that fed his curiosity and nurtured his love of learning-opportunities he shared as a high school English and history teacher in a low-income school system.
But it was the stark disparity of resources for students that propelled Roberts Jue to focus the next chapter of his career on developing policy solutions to improve access and outcomes for disadvantaged students.
"Education inequality in American public schools is the most enduring and significant civil rights issue of our time," said Roberts Jue, who taught in an urban California high school before starting his graduate work in public education policy at Peabody College of education and human development. "My experience as an educator in high-needs schools has strengthened my calling for education policy."
STRONGER LENS FOR COLLABORATION
Roberts Jue said that the public education system is incredibly complex and fragmented, which is why collaboration among local, state and federal stakeholders and transparent policy are so vital.
"While I think we all aspire for education to be the great equalizer, creating a level of equal opportunity for all students, it doesn't do that. Our education system tends to favor students in communities that have more resources and advantages," he said.
Roberts Jue believes public education policy can be a tool to address student needs, implement research-based practices and align the incentives of diverse communities to benefit all students.
"Sometimes our education policies are far from the real needs of our communities. And sometimes our values and beliefs are so wrapped up in education issues it can be hard to see solutions and find common ground. I hope I can help cut through the noise to get at what is most important-what we know actually works for kids," he said.
FAVORITE COLLABORATIONS
Roberts Jue is putting his Vanderbilt knowledge and teambuilding skills immediately to work through the Tennessee-based education nonprofit State Collaborative on Reforming Education, or SCORE.
"In and outside the classroom, Jack is a leader among his peers, and he embodies Peabody's core mission: to translate research into more effective practice and policy and to be a leader who will generate positive change in the world," said Catherine Gavin Loss, associate provost for academic affairs in the Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Education.
The Peabody formula of working in collaborative environments has had a strong impact on Roberts Jue, who warmly defines his cohort as "committed and energized and thoughtful."
"I have felt belonging and collaboration in late-night study sessions with my classmates working on problem sets and assignments together. I think our professors do a great job of encouraging us to participate together because as education scholars, they know that's how we learn it, right? We learn by talking to others and working together. And because they're professors of education and they understand how learning works," he said.
Roberts Jue's favorite collaboration is with his wife, Kara. The two married in the summer of 2024 after teaching together. Now his wife is an instructional coach for teachers.
He has cherished the camaraderie his cohort has built together over two years of study sessions, game nights and group activities.
"I think we've built our own sense of community, which has been a really lovely thing to build-especially for someone who's not from Tennessee," Roberts Jue said. "I'm happy to say I found my people at Vanderbilt."
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