Tag: James Sherlock
-
A Teacher Safety Perspective on Teacher Shortages
by James C. Sherlock We have discussed here teachers shortages in Richmond and some of the other larger school divisions in Virginia. When the issues of teachers being physically afraid to continue teaching because of behavioral chaos in the schools is brought up, it is ignored or dismissed by the left in favor of its…
-
Triumphs in Criminal Bail Reform and Restorative Justice
by James C. Sherlock George Soros wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal on Sunday July 31. Title: “Why I Support Reform Prosecutors.” Subtitle: “Justice or safety? It’s a false choice. They reinforce each other.” Mr. Soros proudly proclaims he has supported the election (and more recently the re-election) of prosecutors who support reform.…
-
Virginia Needs Better Information Sharing to Provide Mandated Public Services to Illegals Efficiently and Effectively
by James C. Sherlock I am on record as a persistent advocate of improving the quality of both schools and medical services for poor and minority citizens. It has been the main focus of my work for years. In a directly related matter, we read, with different reactions depending upon our politics, of the struggles…
-
Social Theory vs. Science in K-12 Discipline in Virginia – Fraud or Just Wrong?
by James C. Sherlock American school children have in my lifetime been the subject of widespread experiments in theory disguised as breakthroughs in education. Consider the “new math” and the “reading wars” as prominent examples. Now we have social theory on school discipline created by federal civil rights lawyers piggybacking on what may or may…
-
Bad News for Governor Youngkin
by James C. Sherlock The New York Post has a story by Dana Kennedy that has put Governor Youngkin in a tough spot. It recounts nasty business transactions by Carlyle Group Co-Founder and Co-Executive Chairman David Rubenstein. The story links Mr. Rubenstein to the trashing of two founding fathers by tour guides at Monticello and Montpelier,…
-
The July Surprise from Congress – a Completely Revised Energy Economy by 2030
by James C. Sherlock Here at Bacon’s Rebellion we spend a lot of ink talking about Virginia energy demand and supply. We debate the ideas of both sides of the discussion. Turns out that we made the mistake of thinking these were state issues. Democrats in Congress are about to intervene in every part of…
-
Mitigating Nurse, Teacher and Police Officer Shortages in Virginia – An Illustrative Example
by James C. Sherlock Virginia is currently dealing with big shortages of nurses, teachers and police officers. If any one doubts that, please consult other conversations that have already been presented on this blog. We have also written here about working conditions for all three professions. Those need to be addressed and, again, have been…
-
Capitalism is the Solution To, Not the Cause Of, the Affordable Housing Crisis
by James C. Sherlock My colleague Dick Hall-Sizemore posted a column here on housing for the poor. He titled it “Little Guys Lose Again.” His opening: A recent article on this blog about the high cost of housing generated a considerable amount of discussion. Much of the discussion centered around the role of government in…
-
K-3 Reading Instruction – Federal Recommendations vs. Virginia SOLs
by James C. Sherlock This column has been withdrawn while under revision based upon updated 2017 reading SOLs. Those SOL are published on the same web page as the 2010 SOLS which are still available for download. I will remap the revised reading SOLs with the Federal model depicted and report.
-
VEA Wants Better Student Discipline – Dismisses Progressive “Reforms” as Unhelpful
by James C. Sherlock Sometimes unions work for members. They always back higher pay and benefits. I back that position of the Virginia Education Association (VEA). On the other hand, I have opposed some things the VEA has backed in Virginia public schools — the list starts with excessively long denial of in-school education during…
-
Where Does Virginia Most Need Charter Schools?
by James C. Sherlock Discussing failing schools in Virginia, people tend to speak in generalities. When an example is needed, the City of Richmond Public Schools is chosen — an uncontested layup. But failed schools are not a problem just in Richmond. And bad public schools in Richmond are not limited to RPS. They are…
-
Public Featherbedding at the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority?
by James C. Sherlock Daniel Berti published an excellent investigative report this morning in The Virginian-Pilot. “Norfolk’s housing authority is in ‘dire’ financial condition, bloated after years of failing to downsize” details what may prove to be waste and abuse at that agency to preserve jobs as the administrative requirements and funding of the mission…
-
Want to Retain Teachers? Give Them Choices within the Public School System
James C. Sherlock We can’t stay with the current public school model in Virginia. Both teachers and kids are leaving in droves. It is broken. The politics of the standards of learning are fierce. The politics of discipline standards are even worse. I am going to write about potential solutions to teacher shortages. I recommend…
-
Charlottesville’s Dysfunctional City Government and the Left’s Four-Card Monty
by James C. Sherlock In Canada, three-card monte is illegal. It is banned by name in Canadian law because the mark has no chance of winning. In fact, anyone who wins can be presumed to be a shill. Four-card monte dominates public debate in America. Like its street game counterpart, only shills win. For the left,…
-
Hospitals Continue to Cut Labor and Delivery and NICU Services
by James C. Sherlock Virginia and the nation continue to see the results of the baby bust. I wrote yesterday of the baby cliff, the 15% decline in live births that started in the great recession of 2007-09. It continues. And it continues to drive change, much of it not good. I have written here…