Education blogger John Butcher highlights key insights from Matt Hurt’s Bacon’s Rebellion series about Virginia’s Standards of Learning assessments. Butcher, whose skepticism is amply captured in the title of his blog, “Cranky’s Blog,” finds much to admire in Hurt’s analysis and the success of the Comprehensive Instructional Program (CIP) consortium that he heads. Southwest Virginia school systems, where CIP got its start, have emitted the few rays of light in Virginia’s otherwise dismally performing educational system over the past four years.
Butcher closes with this recommendation: “I think our new Governor should, on his first day, fire the members of the Board of ‘Education,’ replace them with people recommended by Matt Hurt, and appoint Hurt as Secretary of Education.”
It’s not enough for Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin to drive destructive Critical Race Theory-inspired policies from Virginia’s schools. He needs to replace them with something positive and forward looking. The Comprehensive Instructional Program is one model he should consider. Hurt’s analysis is driven by data, not ideology. He is interested above all else in what works. That sounds exactly like Youngkin’s style. As Youngkin builds his team and ponders how to turn campaign promises into real-world policies, he would be well advised to pick up the phone and talk to Hurt.
— JAB
