EDUCATION
Most Virginia schools remain fully accredited despite student testing declines
Few Virginia schools lost full accreditation from the state this year despite significant learning losses during the pandemic revealed by standardized tests, according to data released on Thursday by the Virginia Department of Education. Data show that the number of fully accredited schools in Virginia dropped from 92% in 2019-20 to 89% for the 2022-23 […]
Parents file class-action suit against Virginia Department of Education, Fairfax School Board over disability hearings
A federal class-action suit has been filed against the Virginia Department of Education and Fairfax County School Board claiming they are violating the rights of disabled students under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The plaintiffs in the case — the parents of an anonymous Fairfax County student and their nonprofit, Hear Our Voices, […]
An ‘unprecedented flood’ of book bans engulfs U.S. school districts, PEN report says
WASHINGTON — More than 1,600 book titles across 32 states were banned from public schools during the 2021-22 school year, with the bulk of the ban requests coming from a handful of right-wing groups pushing for censorship of books that feature LGBTQ+ characters and characters of color, a new report issued Monday said. “What I […]
Youngkin administration overhauls Virginia transgender student policies
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration quietly released a document Friday overhauling Virginia’s policy on the treatment of transgender students, citing “parental rights.” The “Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for all Students and Parents in Virginia’s Public Schools” published by the Virginia Department of Education will direct local school boards to adopt a […]
A bipartisan educational policy agenda for Virginia
By Jonathan Becker As summer recedes and we head into fall, a new school year begins. Students, faculty and staff head back into schools and classrooms with hope and an understandable bit of trepidation. Fall is also a time when Virginia legislators craft their agendas and plan to pre-file bills for the next legislative session. […]
Despite law, few Virginia school districts adopt state model transgender policies
Two years after a law passed the General Assembly requiring Virginia school districts to adopt policies for transgender and nonbinary students, few have opted to embrace model policies developed by the state. In 2020, school boards were required by legislation to adopt policies similar to or more comprehensive than models developed by the Virginia Department […]
U.S. education secretary urges boost in teacher pay, touts college debt relief
WASHINGTON — Amid K-12 teacher shortages, book bans and attacks over critical race theory, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona at a meeting with reporters on Wednesday stressed the need for higher salaries to attract prospective educators to the profession. Cardona also touted the Biden administration’s recent student debt relief announcement in late August. The White House said President Joe Biden […]
Youngkin outlines steps to address teacher shortage in executive directive
Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive directive on Thursday that aims to address teacher shortages in Virginia through strategies that include hiring retired educators and targeting recruitment and retention efforts toward communities most in need. His directive comes as the nation and Virginia face shortages of teachers due to such possible causes as highly charged […]
Judge throws out obscenity case attempting to restrict sales of books in Virginia Beach
VIRGINIA BEACH – A judge on Tuesday dismissed an attempt to use an arcane Virginia obscenity law to prevent bookstores from selling two titles to minors after finding the law unconstitutional on due process and free-speech grounds. State Del. Tim Anderson, R-Virginia Beach, filed the suit earlier this year on behalf of former GOP congressional […]
Four takeaways from Virginia’s post-pandemic standardized test results
Education officials in Virginia have made addressing the student achievement gap a top priority in Virginia after standardized test results showed statewide declines. Virginia’s pass rates, which are calculated from the Standards of Learning and Virginia Alternate Assessment Program tests, showed that all students performed better in 2021-22, when districts had returned to in-person learning, […]
White House meets with college officials on how to curb monkeypox on campus
WASHINGTON — The White House held a virtual meeting Thursday with more than 1,000 college and university officials to help them prepare for a school year when monkeypox cases are expected to crop up on campus. The Biden administration’s monkeypox and COVID-19 response teams as well as representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and […]
Crossing the Delaware, 2022
From The Virginia Mercury: “Among Balow’s criticisms of the draft standards was their use of the word “succession” instead of “secession.” She also referenced the removal of the “Father of our Country” title for George Washington and “Father of the Constitution” title for James Madison, which the Department of Education has said was done in error.”