Category Archives: Top Story

Medicaid Reform – The Virginia Way

Posted on March 26, 2014 by matt ohern

Let’s think through this Medicaid expansion issue. First, everyone wants to make sure that those who need health care assistance have access to it as needed, but how to best do that – for those who are financially less fortunate … Continue reading →

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A Closer Look at the Jobs Numbers

Posted on March 13, 2014 by matt ohern

The jobless rate is falling, and that’s good news. But it is declining for the wrong reasons, and that’s not good for a variety of reasons. The rate has fallen significantly since the recession ended. It stood at 6.6 percent … Continue reading →

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A New Virginia Tradition

Posted on February 26, 2014 by matt ohern

Can you name one thing on which Governors George Allen, Jim Gilmore, Mark Warner, Tim Kaine and Bob McDonnell agreed? Here’s one: the importance of Virginia’s Standards of Learning. The Standards of Learning, or proverbial “SOLs,” became the basis of … Continue reading →

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Fixing Virtual School Governance

Posted on February 13, 2014 by matt ohern

Most parents of children with disabilities don’t worry about the nuances of school governance for full-time virtual schools in Virginia. They just want their child to receive the services he or she needs. The Virginia Virtual Academy provides full-time online … Continue reading →

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SOL Reform: Will There Be Unintended Consequences?

Posted on January 29, 2014 by matt ohern

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 … Continue reading →

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