A Seismic Shift in the Education Landscape The world of K-12 education has undergone a seismic shift since the COVID-19 pandemic. Righteous parental response to school shutdowns, remote learning, exposure to curriculum, and unequal access to online education precipitated massive legislative responses across the country. Until 2021, no state had a universal or near-universal education…

West Virginia Offers Extended Foster Care Services West Virginia is one of 26 states that allows foster care services to be extended after the age of 17 through the age of 21 for teens transitioning into adulthood. Extended foster care services include optional services for previous foster care individuals to support their transition into adulthood.…

Tis the Season to Enjoy West Virginia's Beauty Christmas is my favorite time of year; West Virginia's tenacious spirit is perfectly exposed during the holiday season. It’s during these somber, chilly months that I miss my home state the most. However, this year’s yuletide pilgrimage back to the mountains to visit family and friends mingled…

Cardinal's Policy Priorities for the 2024 Legislative Session An annual tradition, the Cardinal Institute released its main policy priorities ahead of West Virginia’s 2024 legislative session. This year, session runs from January 10 through March 9. These priorities represent the main policy reforms that the Cardinal Institute believes will best serve West Virginia’s 1.79 million…

The West Virginia Hope Scholarship continues to innovate, expanding access to students across the Mountain State. On December 13, 2023, the Hope Scholarship program announced that applications to the program will soon be accepted year-round. The new cycle will include a system of prorated funding for students who apply mid-year to pursue alternatives to West…

Benefit Cliffs Put West Virginians In A Tough Position The most recent report published here at the Cardinal Institute highlights benefit cliffs and how they affect the individuals and families who are counting on safety net assistance to meet needs during challenging economic times. My fellow blog contributor, Jacob McCoy, has a great post from…

Nearly A Decade of Change in West Virginia It boggles the mind what’s happened to West Virginia since 2014. There is no doubt since Republicans became West Virginia’s legislative majority in 2014 that the state’s policy landscape has changed. The average West Virginian in 2013 would scarcely believe it. The past nine years have been…

Benefit Cliffs Prevent Work We have all heard, at one time or another, terms that look to describe or deride people who take advantage of public benefits programs. I won’t list them here, but we’ve all heard them. These terms are the result of sometimes righteous frustration with individuals or families that live on the…

Economic Research Hasn't Always Been This Way The state of economic and social science research has come a long way since it began. While sitting in a seminar about trends in the economics profession, the use of data in research was one of the topics that provoked personal thoughts. I regard myself as an empirical…

A Time To Be Thankful This Thanksgiving, I am reflecting on this past year. November 1 marked my sixth-month mark of working with Cardinal. I am thankful for the experience these past months of working with a great team that is laboring to bring prosperity to West Virginia. I’ve been able to see up close…