The Issues

Education Freedom

Funding Quality in Online Education

What is the cost of a quality full-time, online education program? It’s an important question if Virginia’s movement towards less costly “virtual schools” is to continue moving forward. With places...

Christian Braunlich
February 2, 2012

A Rational Approach to Learning

Remember the old television commercials that proclaimed “Reading is Fundamental?” They were part of a national program that is now known as RIF that gives away books to children around...

Jefferson Forum
January 19, 2012

Governor Bob Tackles Education Reform

Well, well, Gov. Bob McDonnell has finally found his inner radical. His legislative proposals for economic development and energy are pretty tame stuff, but the educational agenda he announced yesterday...

Jefferson Forum
January 19, 2012

The Jefferson Journal: How Should We Fund ‘Students Without Borders?’

Our system of geographically-based education is challenged by the onset of virtual education, in which a student may live anywhere in the state and receive an education from anywhere in...

Christian Braunlich
December 15, 2011

How Should we Fund “Students Without Borders?”

Shortly after I was elected to the Fairfax County School Board 15 years ago, a gentleman stood up at a school budget meeting and asked, “Can’t we charge these kids...

Christian Braunlich
December 14, 2011

Leveraging Dollars with Data

A data warehousing project coming online in late 2012 will help Virginia lawmakers forge education policy based upon hard data instead of anecdote and ideology. Tod Massa is big man...

Jefferson Forum
December 1, 2011

Why I want Michael Mann’s Emails

(Publisher’s Note: Dr. Schnare is the lead attorney in the UVA-Mann email case.) Recently, Nature Magazine published an editorial suggesting that “access to personal correspondence is a freedom too far”...

David Schnare
December 1, 2011

Fair Exchange: NCLB Waivers for Stronger Teacher Evaluations

11/9/2011 – 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). That federal system has...

Christian Braunlich
December 1, 2011

The Jefferson Journal: Fair Exchange: Waivers from NCLB for Stronger Teacher Evaluations

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...

Christian Braunlich
November 15, 2011

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.