Category Archives: Education

Failing Richmond Schools Doubling Down on Failing Policies

Posted on October 3, 2018 by matt ohern

The Richmond Public School System is in crisis, roiled by two independent audits and the publication of new state data showing that the administration is hobbled by rampant inefficiency, there are deep and pervasive achievement gaps between white students and … Continue reading →

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Are Academic Course Requirements Out-of-Date?

Posted on July 11, 2018 by matt ohern

Do we take calculus in high school because we need this skill in our future career, or is it what we historically needed to get into prestigious colleges? Continue reading →

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Want to Honor Barbara Bush? Read to a Child

Posted on May 2, 2018 by matt ohern

“So there’s a reading circle and all the kids have a book and they’re passing the book kid to kid and they passed it to me and I couldn’t read.” That’s a dyslexic Neil Bush, describing the moment his mother … Continue reading →

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Scientific Knowledge vs Social Constructionism

Posted on March 21, 2018 by matt ohern

C.E. Larson is a professor of mathematics and applied mathematics at Virginia Commonwealth University, and he’s a big believer in the scientific method as a way of thinking and accumulating knowledge. He’s also worried that a proposed new General Education … Continue reading →

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Need “Consensus”? Try Pre-K for At-Risk Students

Posted on February 7, 2018 by matt ohern

If Governor Ralph Northam is looking for a place to build legislative consensus, here’s one place to start: Support for pre-k programs aimed at better preparing at-risk four-year-olds for kindergarten and beyond. True, conservatives remain skeptical about building massive universal … Continue reading →

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