Author: sherlockj
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Can’t Read This? Thank Your Favorite “Top 20” Ed School
by James C. Sherlock The Washington Post published an informative article on poverty and education. It recognized early on that: “Educators and policymakers have spent decades — and billions of dollars — trying to figure out how to make it easier for students like Alexa, bright young people who face a cascade of challenges linked to…
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UVa Offers Social Warrior Lesson Plans to Virginia Kindergarten Teachers
by James C. Sherlock In case anyone thinks the left ever rests, the University of Virginia ed school has struck another blow to educate children as social warriors through its ”Educating for Democracy” project. “Democracy is not a spectator sport; it requires our participation, and this participation must be oriented toward justice. To create a more just…
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Transgender Medical Care for Children – Do not Parents Have a Role?
by James C. Sherlock Yesterday’s two-part column, I responded to the Virginian-Pilot’s assertion that transgender rights are being conflated by conservatives with critical race theory in schools. I agree that they are, and I find it appropriate. Child instruction in CRT and transgender affirming psychological and medical interventions for children without parent participation are…
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Journalistic Competence and Integrity, Explained – Part 2
by James C. Sherlock We are back to the story posted on the front page above the fold by the Virginian-Pilot on Sunday, July 11. This is Part 2 of my critique. Last time we discussed a lot of false flags in that story. In this one I will take up the story’s references to…
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Journalistic Competence and Integrity, Explained – Part 1
by James C. Sherlock A couple of reporters, Sara Gregory and Matt Jones, wrote the lead front page article in The Virginian-Pilot print edition today. It was headlined “Critical Race Theory, Explained” and was presented as news, not opinion. The line between the two is more blurred every day. I wish it were not,…
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Where Is a Parents’ Bill of Rights for Virginia?
by James C. Sherlock Sometimes, the simplest and certainly one of the best ways for a public official to serve the public is to inform them about things they care about. The Attorney General of Indiana, perhaps the best governed state in America, has just published a roadmap for parents and caregivers to “exercise their…
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President’s Executive Order Could Bolster Healthcare Competition in Virginia
by James C. Sherlock Yesterday President Joe Biden issued an executive order (EO) on competition that has the potential to significantly affect Virginians, especially our monopolized regional healthcare markets. While an EO does not have the force of law, the president as chief executive can set priorities. The executive departments will honor the EO where…
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School Finance in Virginia – the Issue of State Contributions
by James C. Sherlock We have been discussing public school policy often, and it merits the attention. So to provide background, I prepared a spreadsheet to help us all understand school finance in Virginia. I used the school year 2019-20. It is both important and interesting and certainly raises questions, primarily about state contributions. The…
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Loudoun County High Schools Beaten Soundly by Virginia Beach in Math SOLs
by James C. Sherlock This is part 3 of my recent series on Loudoun County schools in general and its high schools in particular. It will confirm what we have already discussed. I will here compare Loudoun schools in 2018-19 math SOL performance (last year pre-COVID) and other metrics with the schools in Virginia Beach.…
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Loudoun County School Board Needs to Clean up its Own Equity Mess
by James C. Sherlock The Loudoun County School Board gets to lecture absolutely no one about equity. The richest county in America has shoehorned most of the high schoolers among its record low percentage of poor children into one of its 15 high schools, Park View High. That in itself is not an indictment. They go…
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Are Poor Rural White Wise County Evangelicals More Antiracist than the Wealthy, Urbane Citizens of Loudoun?
by James C. Sherlock Many are fascinated with the nationally infamous Loudoun County School Board. Board members seem preoccupied with driving social change without pausing to look at data. I have thought someone ought to check how the Loudoun students have been faring in SOLs to see if there are academic issues…
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Loudoun County School Board Ignorant or Dismissive About the Performance of Its School District
by James C. Sherlock I have, with much of America, been watching the woke cabal that forms the majority of the Loudoun County School Board. They are true believers. It is testimony to the depths of their feelings that they don’t let the needs of the kids in that school district get in the way of…
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Pre-COVID Test Results Show a Failed Public Education System
by James C. Sherlock I have questions in my own mind about the quality of Virginia public schools. In search of answers I invested several weeks full time in building into a spreadsheet what I consider some of the critical metrics among both Virginia public schools in general and ten different school districts that I…
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A Gift to VDOE From a Critic
by James C. Sherlock I write about education in Virginia. I think VDOE is going down the wrong rabbit holes in some of its programs, but I want to be able to see what the data says. There are vast troves of state and federal government education data, but I have been frustrated…
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Removal of Cops on Richmond School Board Agenda
by James C. Sherlock The City of Richmond School Board tonight has as an agenda item its strategic plan “Priority 3 – Safe and Loving School Cultures” tonight at 6 PM. Meeting Jun 07, 2021 – Richmond City School Board Meeting – 6:00 p.m. Category New Business Subject New Business. Type Procedural Goals Priority 1…