Gary Skeen, Ph.D., is associate director of the Center for Educational Innovation and Opportunity at Old Dominion University, which coordinates Virginia’s largest network of public lab schools.

Hands-on opportunities launch careers and help businesses find and keep the talent they need, Kirk Cox and Cathie Vick write in a guest column ...

Can a year-long national celebration of American independence bolster those numbers and spur a renaissance in civic engagement? It’s possible.