Center on Education Policy Staff

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John F. (Jack) Jennings, President and CEO
Mr. Jennings founded the Center on Education Policy in January 1995. From 1967 to 1994, he served as subcommittee staff director and then as general counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Education and Labor. In these positions, he was involved in nearly every major education debate held at the national level, including the reauthorizations of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Vocational Education Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Higher Education Act, the National School Lunch Act, the Child Nutrition Act, and the authorization of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. Mr. Jennings has served on the board of trustees of the Educational Testing Service, the Title I Independent Review Panel, the Pew Forum on Standards-Based Reform, the Maryland Academic Intervention Steering Committee, and the Maryland Visionary Panel. He holds an A.B. from Loyola University and a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law, and is a member of several legal bars, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

Diane Stark Rentner, Director of National Programs
Ms. Rentner has been with the Center on Education Policy since its founding in January 1995. From 1988 to 1994, she served as a legislative associate for the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Education and Labor, where she worked on the reauthorization of several major education programs including the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Higher Education Act, the National School Lunch Act, the Child Nutrition Act, and the authorization of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. Ms. Rentner also worked for the National PTA and the Council of Chief State School Officers in their government relations offices. She holds a B.S. from the University of Utah.

Jennifer R. McMurrer, Research Associate
Ms. McMurrer began her work with the Center in June 2006. Her responsibilities include researching, analyzing, and writing on the Center's various activities relating to high school exit exams and No Child Left Behind Act. Ms. McMurrer holds a BA from James Madison University and master's degree from George Mason University in public policy with a focus on education policy.