The Schoolhouse as Clinic: The Dangerous Mission Creep of Public School Mental Health Screenings
Virginia parents should be alarmed that the Virginia General Assembly just passed House Bill 355 which mandates annual mental health screenings for all public school students in grades 6 through 12. While framed as a compassionate response to a very real “mental health crisis,” it represents a fundamental shift in the mission of public education: from academic instruction to clinical surveillance. By institutionalizing mandatory mental health screenings, HB 355 threatens […]
The Virginian-Pilot: Federal Scholarship Tax Credits Should be a No-Brainer for Virginia
In today’s The Virginian-Pilot, Thomas Jefferson Institute Senior Advisor and Former President Chris Braunlich discusses Virginia’s participation in the new Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC) for K-12 students which, starting in 2027, will give taxpayers a dollar for dollar federal tax credit of up to $1,700 for donations to scholarship programs offering students in public […]
Spanberger’s Position on the new Federal Scholarship Remains Unclear: Will She Choose Kids or Union Bosses?
As early voting in the gubernatorial race in Virginia is about to begin, students in the Commonwealth hang in the balance. While Governor Youngkin was able to implement a landmark school accountability measure that will help inform parents and the public about our students’ true performance, most of his other efforts at more fundamental education […]
Vision for Virginia 2025: Education Policy – Six Education Policy Positions for the Next Governor
Education is a top concern for voters in Virginia. As President Trump closes the Federal Department of Education, shifting funding and control to the states, the issues surrounding education policy are more important now than ever. Below is a look at the state of education in Virginia, the Thomas Jefferson Institute’s vision for education reform, and […]
Union Rules: Welcome to the Hotel California
One of the most treasured rights in America is the right to a secret ballot – the opportunity to vote in privacy, free from harassment. It’s what separates democratic societies and is a right that filters down to even our local Rotary Clubs and Chambers of Commerce. It is a right that should be guaranteed for […]
Closing the Gap: A Blueprint for Funding Success and Empowering Parents
It shouldn’t be hard for both political parties to agree that among those who suffered most from covid school shut-downs were low-income children. In the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the assessment against which all states judge their progress, the percentage of Virginia students scoring at proficient or above in the 2024 NAEP exams demonstrate a huge […]
Classical Education: A Forgotten Path to Flourishing for All
I want to thank the Heritage Foundation for hosting this important event. Having the honor of being on the same program, or even in the same room, as Professor Robert George is a bucket list-type day for me. So, thank you. It is indeed monumental that for the 100 years since Pierce, the court has recognized the obvious — […]
Time for Next Steps After Brown
May 17 marked the 71st anniversary of the 1954 court decision called Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, KS — but the case began here, in Virginia. In 1951 Virginia public education operated under the doctrine of “separate but equal,” but the definition of “equal” left much to be desired. In Farmville’s high school […]
Why Harvard University and the United Daughters of the Confederacy Should Both Keep their Tax Exemptions
Every taxpayer dollar sent to any university or private entity should be closely scrutinized. In the case of the billions sent to Harvard University and other elite schools, the probe being imposed by the Trump administration is long overdue. The research grants which make up the majority of Harvard’s non-medical federal funding, notoriously lack transparency, allow for […]
Senator Lucas: Our Neediest Students Deserve an Opportunity Now!
To say that there is a crisis in Virginia’s education system would be a gross understatement. As the Thomas Jefferson Institute’s Hannah Schmid recently wrote: “The 2024 Nation’s Report Card revealed 42% of Virginia fourth graders and 34% of eighth graders were reading at a below basic level on the national assessment. That means more than one-in-three […]