EDUCATION
Youngkin still won’t say how his school masking opt-out order will be enforced
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin won’t confirm whether his administration plans to withhold state funding from local school divisions that don’t comply with an executive order allowing parents to opt out of universal masking policies. The possibility was first raised by Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears in a Monday afternoon appearance on Fox News. While Youngkin had […]
Supply chain shortages are putting a strain on Virginia school lunch rooms
Between rising case counts and staffing shortages, Virginia’s public schools were already facing plenty of challenges at the start of the fall semester. Then came supply chain problems. “I think I was in the middle of a meeting when we found out there was no bread to be had from our distributor,” said Randy Herman, […]
Youngkin taps critical race theory opponents to lead public education in Virginia
Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin has named two women with track records of opposing “critical race theory” — a once obscure collegiate field that’s become a conservative catch-all term for racial equity and diversity initiatives in public schools — to top posts at the Virginia Department of Education. Jillian Balow, formerly Wyoming’s elected superintendent of public instruction, […]
How far can Youngkin’s school-choice push go?
Education has been the number one priority for Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin, both on the campaign trail and as he prepares his transition to the Executive Mansion in Richmond. Youngkin promised to boost teacher pay and rebuild crumbling facilities, keep schools open throughout the ongoing pandemic and eradicate “critical race theory” from the classroom. Budgets come […]
Across cultural lines, home schooling has boomed since COVID-19 hit
For Isabel Bishop, 12, and her 8-year-old brother, Bodhi, school might mean a trip from their home in Fairfax County to the Harriet Tubman Museum in Maryland to learn about slavery and the underground railroad. For Mali Holmes, 7, of Richmond, school might mean playing chess with friends and developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills. […]
Incorporate social-emotional learning into physical education in Virginia schools
By Lila Newberry The Virginia Department of Education says their recently developed equity-focused social-emotional learning standards are in place to “ensure every student in Virginia attends a school that maximizes their potential and prepares them for the future: academically, socially, and emotionally.” The development of SEL standards for Virginia schools is a step in the […]
Biden extends student loan repayment pause three more months
President Joe Biden will continue a pandemic-spurred pause on student loan repayments until May 1, he said Wednesday. Loan repayments were set to restart Jan. 31, following months of the U.S. Education Department not requiring payments during the pandemic. Biden told the department to extend the moratorium initially placed by President Donald Trump’s administration. It […]
Can Youngkin really ban critical race theory in Virginia schools?
By some accounts, Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin won the office in part thanks to his campaign pledge to ban critical race theory, an issue that’s become the subject of explosive debate in some Virginia school systems. Nearly two months after the election, though, Youngkin has done little to elaborate on his promise. In general, the […]
Virginia’s state schools superintendent is stepping down; Youngkin names education secretary
As the governor who appointed him winds down his term, Virginia’s superintendent of public instruction is stepping down. Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane, appointed by Gov. Ralph Northam in 2018 to oversee the Virginia Department of Education, is leaving for an undisclosed position elsewhere as Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin, who campaigned on a range of […]
Biden administration resists Democrats’ pleas on student debt relief as deadline nears
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats are urging the White House to extend the freeze on student loan repayments, and for the president to cancel up to $50,000 of student debt — but so far the administration is not budging. The standoff is one of the more noticeable splits between President Joe Biden and members of his […]
State opens up applications for millions in grants to improve math and literacy teaching resources
Virginia’s public colleges can apply for $34 million in grants to produce teaching resources and professional development programs for literacy and mathematics teachers. The Onward and Upward: Supporting Literacy and Mathematics grants are part of the $2.1 billion awarded to the Virginia Department of Education through The American Rescue Plan. Although only public institutions of […]
The Virginia Department of Health won’t mandate COVID-19 vaccines in schools
A petition to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for school employees and all eligible students failed this week when the Virginia Department of Health opted to take no action on the request. In a decision posted Monday, the agency stated that it lacked the “clear statutory authority” to mandate the shots for employees. Under state law, the […]