These new guidelines from the Virginia Board of Education are a perfect example of passing the buck....when the board initially created these guidelines in January, they were very explicit and strict and there was a lot of backlash to it.(http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2011/01_jan/agenda_items/item_j.pdf)
Now if you read the March guidelines, you can clearly see that the board is now asking local boards to define and create policies regarding social networking interactions between students and staff.
Seems similar to feds asking states to define mandates, doesn't it?
The VA DOE is launched an initiative to give K-12 students ipads to increase the use of technology in the classroom and will then study the affects on SOL rates and student achievement.
VA's Code of Virginia's explanation of the role of the Attorney General in educational reform - opinions may be only asked on him/her in writing by specific members of the Commonwealth
The source must be considered (Secular News Daily) - but whoa! Ten Commandments posted?!?! I am shocked to see the 5-0 ruling on this one...I wonder if Giles County has elected or appointed board members.
I thought that Virginia teachers were not represented by a union. Was I mistaken? Or are teachers in charter schools represented by a union while those in traditional public schools are not?
KIPP is threatening to close schools in Baltimore unless they are able to resolve a dispute with the teachers' union regarding teacher pay for extended school days.
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is inviting school divisions, nonprofits, local government agencies, faith-based organizations, colleges and universities, and for-profit corporations to apply for 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants
While looking through the governor's education policy, it seems as though higher education is more of his focus than public K-12 education. This brief, from the governor's websites, outlines his view of higher education needs of the state.
Virginia's public education system's fourth place ranking in Education Week's annual Quality Counts report. The rankings are based on four critical areas: the chance for success, K-12 achievement, school finance, and policies related to transitions and alignment.
Sadly... none of the states got an A or A-. Alas, MS is no longer dead last. Granted they have the lowest C- possible. I know we say that grades are not everything but it is sad that there are no "A" states and our national average is mediocre at best. And, this is not a comparison to other developed countries....