All results / Stories / Del. Kenneth R. “Ken” Plum
Steps to Succession
Steps to Succession
Saving Our Planet
Saving Our Planet
Politicizing Education
As a former teacher/education program administrator for 30 years I am aware of the many wonderful, effective, and dedicated teachers there are, including two of my children and one of my grandchildren and his wife. The current effort to politicize education for personal gain saddens me.
Equity Out—Opportunity In?
Equity Out—Opportunity In?
Budgets Set Policy Directions
“I predict [the conference committee compromise] will be accepted as the best compromise that can be reached at this time.”
Broadening Internal Threat to Our Democracy
Commentary
No Miracle in Virginia Student Test Scores
There was more than a week delay in announcing Virginia student test scores this year. Last week we learned why.
Rights Bring Obligations
Virginia Code Section 22.1-201 states ”To increase knowledge of citizens' rights and responsibilities thereunder and to enhance the understanding of Virginia's unique role in the history of the United States, the Declaration of American Independence, the general principles of the Constitution of the United States, including the Bill of Rights, the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, the charters of the Virginia Company of April 10, 1606, May 23, 1609, and March 12, 1612, and the Virginia Declaration of Rights shall be thoroughly explained and taught by teachers to pupils in public elementary, middle, and high schools.”
Much Remains To Be Done
The good old days were never as good as we sometimes make them out to have been.
Footprints on the Sands of Time
Maybe it’s the contemplations of my impending retirement or maybe it is because of the richness of the life I have been privileged to live that I have become more aware of and more impressed by the women and men I meet in my community and in the political arena.
Not Over Until It Is Over
Commentary
Inalienable Rights
Virginian Thomas Jefferson was a young man when he penned the words expressed among political philosophers of the time that there were natural rights “endowed by their creator” that all persons possess. His phrase in the Declaration of Independence that preceded that assertion, “all men are created equal,” gained the most notice and debate even until today.
Reinventing American Democracy
The 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the United States is fast approaching. We can celebrate being the oldest constitutional democracy in the world. Our form of government, however, is under undue stresses that cause many to worry as to whether we can show the same resiliency of the past going forward in the next century.
Celebrate Earth Day Every Day
Earth Day
Obligation of Citizenship: To Be Informed
Commentary
Early Education Pays Off
Of the many educational programs that have been funded by all levels of government and the private sector, none have had as many positive, continuing impacts on participants as expenditures on early childhood education. There is a huge body of research proving the point.