The Jefferson Journal
Commentary
Local school boards are understandably drooling over the possibility of getting out from under the poorly-devised accountability rules of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). But it won’t be a free ride …
... In 2010, Virginia became the 28th state to create a formal policy for the establishment of full-time multi-district virtual schools — online education through which students anywhere in the state are able to work full-time with their teachers and curriculum over the Internet, rather than in a traditional classroom. But...
I still have my notes from nine years ago. Speaking at a dinner meeting hosted by the Thomas Jefferson Institute, then-Virginia School Board President Mark Christie argued that “No Child Left Behind” (NCLB) was doomed to failure. “No Child Left Behind requires that 100 percent – every student – meet...
It is long overdue for the Supreme Court to end these outrageous abuses by an out-of-control EPA and its unconstitutional violation of property rights through its so-called pre-enforcement actions…” That statement comes from a recent press release from the Mountain States Legal Foundation. This assertion is made along with the...
New, Safe & Small Reactors are Under Design Most of us have heard the recent news that Virginia is one of the best places to do business in the United States. But unless policymakers make a concerted effort to address the Commonwealth’s high energy needs in the next decade our...
Defined benefit (DB) plans now are part of the fiscal debate in many states and localities, and Virginia is no exception. Virginia has been a leader in responsible and innovative pension plan management. Yet, the retirement plan places a financial burden on the Commonwealth. After the 2010 valuation, VRS’s funding...
I am typically not a big fan of federal government policies, but when they are more pro-business than the State of Virginia’s policies one has to ask, “Why?” I am referring to the Virginia Department of Corrections where currently there is a mandate that the state prison industries provide office...
Much has been made of the rising number of Virginia schools failing to meet the federal standards of “Adequate Yearly Progress” (AYP). But is AYP a good measure of academic excellence? The history of standards-based accountability — and the fashion in which AYP is constructed — suggests not.
... Study after study have repeatedly demonstrated that the most important feature in improving student performance is the quality of the teacher. So how did Virginia’s local school boards when they were asked to agree to design evaluation systems that took into account student growth as a significant factor, conduct annual...
Should Fairfax County be subsidizing “affordable housing” that includes resort-style swimming pools, exercise facilities, billiards rooms and condo fees of up to $6,800 per year? Yet, that’s exactly what happens in at least three “affordable housing” developments. We believe there is a better way …
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