Employment in Washington has improved considerably since April 2011, when the unemployment rate was more than a percentage point higher at 9.3%. Since then, the state has added nearly 40,000 jobs. Washington’s unemployment rate is still well above pre-recession levels and tracks closely with the national unemployment rate (also 8.1% in April).

A quick summary for reference of how to opt out of a public or private mandatory union workplace in Washington state.

Secret meetings just got a little harder in Thurston County as the Thurston County Commissioners were handed a formal notice of their recent Violation of the Open Meetings Act in regards to the No Shooting Ordinance.  If your local government is doing the same thing, you can do this as well.  This is what standing up for open government looks like.

State budgets have been hurting in a bad way. Across the country, legislatures continue to struggle to close deficits while still providing essential services. While cuts have been necessary, the wrong cuts can be devastating and ironically, very costly.

A citizen gives effective testimony to the Thurston County Commissioners.  While the Thurston County Commissioners have squandered staff time on ego projects that harm citizens, they have ignored hundreds of citizens like Mr. Armstrong.  Of course, they will give him an answer - but not today.

After two and half years of wasted staff time on 5 drafts, the Thurston County Commissioners decided to shoot down the No Shooting Ordinance.  What changed?  People stood up to them and confronted the Thurston County Commissioners.  This is an example of what victories on the road to more freedom look like.

“eCert” is OSPI’s online portal that “organizes the certification process in such a way as to help educators successfully submit an application together with correlating documentation and required materials.” It’s a very complicated process, as you can see here. Select a category and you can browse the many different applications the system manages for government workers in the education sector.

The Colorado Legacy Foundation produced a great short film that hits the nail on the head when it comes to what’s missing in public education, the possibilities for turning it around, and the mindset necessary to get us there.

If a state-run passenger ferry crashes does the public have a right to see investigative records? This was the issue in a ruling issued by the Court of Appeals in Freedom Foundation v. Washington State Department of Transportation.

This week the Innosight Institute released a groundbreaking report titled “Classifying K-12 Blended Learning.” While intended to clarify definitions and provide a common language for the education community, the report does much more. It illustrates the growth and prominence of blended learning (more than 80 programs were consulted in drafting this report). And it provides a crystal clear map of four different blended learning models.