In the film adaption of Joseph Heller’s anti-war novel, Captain John Yossarian defines the phrase “Catch-22” this way: “In order to be grounded, I’ve got to be crazy and I must be crazy to keep flying. But if I ask to be grounded, that means I’m not crazy any more...
6/10/2014 — On May 17, Virginia and the nation recognized the 60 Anniversary of the historic Brown v. Board decision declaring state laws establishing separate schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. The anniversary was accompanied by commentaries recognizing the importance of the case – but few also recognized the pivotal role Virginia...
Which statement does not belong with the others? A. “One of the places where much of that innovation occurs is in our most effective charter schools.” – President Barack Obama B. “High-performing urban charter schools such as the KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) schools are showing that minority students can close the...
In 2007, the Virginia General Assembly replaced one eighth-grade social studies Standards of Learning (SOL) exam with three required middle school SOL tests. In 2009, Virginia’s state superintendent proposed eliminating the third-grade social studies SOL exam, but backed off after opposition from members of the General Assembly. My. What a difference a...
7/17/2014 — The recent state court ruling that the Opportunity Educational Institution (OEI) is a violation of the Virginia Constitution leaves thousands of Virginia schoolchildren consigned to schools with decades-long records of failure. Passed with bipartisan approval last year, OEI sought to provide all students – regardless of what school they...
Executive Summary A Time for Reform The state of Virginia is blessed with one of the finest systems of public colleges and universities in the nation. And yet, for these institutions to continue to thrive, they need the authority, expertise, and resources to govern themselves—to attract and keep the best faculty,...
The Road to Deregulation, Real Accountability, and Renewed Citizenship in Virginia’s System of Higher Education Eric Cohen Managing Editor Public Interest February 2000 Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy The Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy is anon-partisan research and education organization devoted to improving the lives of the people in Virginia....
This column is a condensed version of “Foreclosures Dampen the Economic Recovery — The 2010-2011 Economic Forecast” written for and soon to be published by the Thomas Jefferson Institute. 6/9/2011 – Home prices took a turn for the worse in the nation and in the Richmond area earlier this year. Prices fell 5.5...
I want to bring you up-to-date on the activities of the Thomas Jefferson Institute, Virginia’s premier independent public policy foundation, and the impact we are having on public policy As I have said before, this public policy foundation is more accurately defined as a “solutions tank” rather than a “think tank.”...
RICHMOND — The bi-partisan Cost Cutting Caucus of the Virginia House of Delegates and the non-partisan Thomas Jefferson Institute today announced the Jefferson Institute’s Center for Legislative Analysis and Government Reform will provide independent research, analysis, and counsel to members of the Caucus on ways to make state government more efficient. The Thomas Jefferson...
