FEATURED INSIGHTS
INSIGHTS
K-12: 60 Days Until Disaster
Reopening K-12 schools is a prerequisite to reopening the economy, as many working adults cannot return to work until their children are back in school being educated by teachers. Schools generally failed to prepare adequately for digital solutions over their summer off. The result is that students mostly receive substandard educational content and inadequate teacher interaction.
Pinellas, Florida: The Ultimate Bellwether
Any political strategist, pollster, or political operative will tell you to watch Pinellas County, Florida on election night this November. Why? Because this Florida county, just east to Tampa, and home to St. Petersburg, is one of the most important swing counties in one of the most critically important swing states.
COVID Strategy Guide: Analyzing College Reopening Policies
Absent uniform or scientifically-accurate federal standards, American colleges and universities are charting their own courses to varying degrees of success. Those institutions already face known economic pressures and implemented an array of strategies to mitigate the pandemic.
Every sound reopening strategy has four common elements: Widespread testing and contact tracing; Quarantines and social distancing measures; Transparent communication of data/policy; and Innovation
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM VIRGINIA’S SPECIAL SESSION
Virginia state legislators returned to the Capitol this week to meet for a special legislative session on coronavirus. One member on the House Appropriations Committee privately likened the session to the General Assembly, "coming back to turn on the 'un-allotted' lights." The pandemic forced the Commonwealth to pause $2.7 billion of new spending on Democratic priorities. The legislature also plans to approve new language on criminal justice reform that will relive systemic pressure after months of protests.
STRATEGY GUIDE: VACCINE GEOPOLITICS WILL DESTABILIZE
If it was unclear clear that the Cold War is back on, Russia named its vaccine program “Sputnik V.” Clear political messaging from an autocratic oligarchy populated with the former Soviet officials.
COVID STRATEGY GUIDE: Work (and Learn) from Home
Experts believe that the coronavirus will "ping-pong" around the United States, infecting "reopened" communities and decreasing in places as they lockdown. The 18-25 demographic is the least compliant with public health measures, so we assume that students everywhere will flout campus security and rules meant to protect public health. Dormitories also present a challenge as increased housing density can contribute to worse outcomes, as indicated by the viral spread in large cities, nursing homes, and jails.
COVID STRATEGY GUIDE: Two Races - Vaccines & the Election
We have learned that a safe, effective vaccine against COVID-19, the infection caused by the coronavirus, most likely won’t be available for large segments of the world’s population until 2022 at the earliest.
COVID STRATEGY GUIDE: Emerging Crises
The eviction crisis is the severest looming economic issue. It portends an America with a dispossessed populace equal to or higher than that of the Great Depression. With the COVID pandemic threatening to worsen as summer cools into autumn, there is every worry we are facing an economic nightmare of unprecedented proportion — unless we act fast.
POLICY BRIEF: Virginia Criminal Justice Reform
The Virginia General Assembly directed its State Crime Commission (SCC) to undertake an emergency review of its criminal justice policies and identify opportunities for reform. Most legislative activity will center around policies supported by the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, mainstream Democratic activists, and the Black Lives Matter protestors. This augments those discussions.
Coronavirus Strategy Guide: Schools as a disease vector
The long-delayed CDC guidance on school re-openings is unscientific, dangerous, and wrong. It indicates that President Trump succeeded in politicizing the recommendations of the CDC. This move is in-line with others that undermine the validity of U.S. data, including long-delays in test results. The U.S. is covering up official numbers and guidance, placing it on a clear trajectory for a worst-case scenario, in-line with other authoritarian countries like Brazil.