The Issues

Education Freedom

Help Our Aging Public Schools

Every year at the state and local level of government, budget debates include funding issues surrounding our K-12 public schools. Teacher salaries and class size are usually the focus, and...

Jefferson Forum
November 1, 2017

Scrap the SOL's and Move On

( This article is responded to by John Butcher in the next column.) Maybe it’s time for Virginia to scrap the Standards of Learning (SOL) tests. The SOLs arose in...

Jefferson Forum
October 18, 2017

Reform the SOLs, Don’t Kill Them

SOL Results Have Guided Home Purchase Decisions, With the Effect of Harming Low-Performing Schools...
Jefferson Forum
October 18, 2017

How Long Must Parents Wait?

In a recent news release, Governor Terry McAuliffe heralded the fact that 86 percent of Virginia schools were fully accredited – “a record high” for his administration and a five...

Christian Braunlich
October 4, 2017

Do Remedial College Classes Need Reform? In Virginia, Probably Not

How do you handle a situation when a student is admitted to a college but isn’t academically prepared to do the work? Traditionally, colleges and community colleges have required students...

Jefferson Forum
October 4, 2017

Goodbye, Farewell … and Thanks.

Author’s Note: When Cameron Elementary School Principal George Towery retired in 2010, I wrote the following column about his accomplishments and his leadership. In a world in which many seem...

Christian Braunlich
September 6, 2017

High Tech Jobs Remain in Great Demand

With students packing up to go back to college this month with declared or undeclared majors, it’s a good time to consider the fields that graduating students are going into...

Jefferson Forum
August 23, 2017

Autonomy and Accountability in Higher Education – Part 4

How do Virginia’s public higher-ed institutions rate on the goals established in the 2005 Restructuring Act and embedded in state code? The data is incomplete. This is the fourth of...

Jefferson Forum
August 23, 2017

Autonomy and Accountability in Higher Education – Part 3

The General Assembly enacted the 2005 Restructuring Act with the idea of holding public universities accountable to a set of performance metrics. Many measures have fallen by the wayside. This...

Jefferson Forum
August 9, 2017

Jefferson Forum concentrates on policies that affect everyday life in Virginia

Economic Freedom

Lower taxes and fewer regulations

Education Freedom

More choices for Virginia families

Energy Freedom

Reliable, affordable energy

Worker Freedom

Protecting Virginia’s right-to-work tradition

These are the building blocks of a more competitive and prosperous Virginia.