The Issues

Education Freedom

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...

Jefferson Forum
July 29, 2025

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...

Christian Braunlich
July 23, 2025

Ed Feulner (1941-2025): A National Leader with a Virginian Heart

In the spring of 1971, the U.S. Senate was set to debate and vote on continued government support of the supersonic transport (SST), with most conservatives opposing taxpayer funding in...

Christian Braunlich
July 21, 2025

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...

Christian Braunlich
June 30, 2025

Juneteenth: From Unknowing to Unbound: A Call to Agency

As a school founder and former principal who spent decades immersed in the resilient spirit of an inner-city school serving primarily low-income African American students in Southeast, DC, and as...

Derrick A. Max
June 20, 2025

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...

Derrick A. Max
June 2, 2025

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...

Christian Braunlich
May 29, 2025

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...

Derrick A. Max
April 24, 2025

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...

Derrick A. Max
March 27, 2025

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.