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Virginia

News, analysis, and opinion about K-12 education in Virginia
Visitors take photographs of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 18, 2024, in Washington.
Visitors take photographs of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 18, 2024, in Washington.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Law & Courts Two Notable Education Cases the Supreme Court Declined to Take Up This Term
The justices turned away cases on public aid to nonpublic schools and the 2021 controversy over school board protests.
Mark Walsh, October 7, 2024
4 min read
Melanie Kay-Wyatt stands for a portrait inside Alexandria City High School on Sept. 9, 2024 in Alexandria, Va. Kay-Wyatt serves as superintendent for Alexandria City Public Schools.
Melanie Kay-Wyatt, the superintendent for the Alexandria, Va., school district, stands for a portrait inside Alexandria City High School on Sept. 9, 2024. She considers her professional style to be an important part of how she presents herself in her role.
Maansi Srivastava for °ÄÃÅÅܹ·ÂÛ̳
School & District Management Q&A What Should School Administrators Wear to Work? A Superintendent’s Style Tips
Melanie Kay-Wyatt describes her wardrobe as professional, comfortable, and colorful.
Elizabeth Heubeck, September 13, 2024
3 min read
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Laura Baker/°ÄÃÅÅܹ·ÂÛ̳ via Canva
Teaching Video Make Learning ‘Binge-Worthy’: Immersive Adventures in the Classroom
This district leader explains how teachers can increase student engagement by incorporating immersive adventures into their lessons.
Kaylee Domzalski & Sam Mallon, September 5, 2024
3:33
Blurred photograph of smiling students running out of a school building.
Comstock/Getty
School & District Management An Unconventional Way One District Is Adding Teacher Planning Time
District leaders had to respond to increased training demands and the reality that elementary teachers generally have little planning time.
Caitlynn Peetz, August 28, 2024
5 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Student Achievement Opinion Should Schools Adopt Equitable Grading Practices? A Teacher Voices His Concerns
Responsible grading needs to reflect more than just content mastery, argues a veteran educator.
Rick Hess, August 22, 2024
5 min read
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Laura Baker/°ÄÃÅÅܹ·ÂÛ̳
Professional Development Video The PD Teachers Want: 'Why Can’t We Be Doing This All the Time?'
This district leader is creating engaging professional development for teachers using escape rooms and other immersive adventures.
Kaylee Domzalski & Sam Mallon, August 20, 2024
3:00
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen on Thursday, June 29, 2023, in Washington.
The Biden administration's new Title IX regulation was set to take effect Aug. 1, but only in parts of the country as court injunctions block it in 26 states and the U.S. Supreme Court weighs a request to step into the debate.
AP
Law & Courts Biden's Title IX Rule Takes Effect Amid a Confusing Legal Landscape
The rule that expands protections for LGBTQ+ students is effective Aug. 1, but injunctions currently block it in 26 states.
Mark Walsh, July 31, 2024
7 min read
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Nuthawut Somsuk/iStock/Getty
School & District Management Video How This Principal Got His Groove Back, and 3 Tips for Others
Kambar Khoshaba, a high school principal, shares strategies to revive school leaders' morale.
Olina Banerji, July 24, 2024
3 min read
Illustration of hands shaking with smaller professional people standing on top, with hands in the air, celebrating.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Principals' Unions Are on the Rise. What Are Their Demands?
Across the country, principals are organizing for better working conditions.
Olina Banerji, July 12, 2024
8 min read
AA studio shot of a Mario Kart diecast vehicle from the video and animated Nintendo series.
iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being How Video Games Can Combat Chronic Absenteeism (Yes, Really)
In one district, middle school esports clubs are helping to boost attendance and student engagement.
Alyson Klein, July 2, 2024
5 min read
cellphone distraction policy bans in schools static
Laura Baker/°ÄÃÅÅܹ·ÂÛ̳ via canva
Ed-Tech Policy Tracker Which States Ban or Restrict Cellphones in Schools?
See which states are requiring cellphone restrictions or bans in schools.
1 min read
Fourth-grader Sammiayah Thompson, left, and her brother third-grader Nehemiah Thompson work outside in their yard on laptops provided by their school system for distant learning, in Hartford, Conn., on June 5, 2020.
Fourth-grader Sammiayah Thompson, left, and her brother third-grader Nehemiah Thompson work outside in their yard on laptops provided by their school system for distance learning, in Hartford, Conn., on June 5, 2020. Some districts kept virtual programs as an option after schools reopened, but many of those are now considering cuts to them as budgets tighten.
Jessica Hill/AP
School & District Management Districts’ Virtual Programs Are on the Chopping Block as ESSER Ends
Although usually small in enrollment, virtual programs have been an important option for some students.
Caitlynn Peetz, June 25, 2024
6 min read
Image of a folder and a signed agreement.
iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession Teachers’ Unions Are Gaining Ground in a State That Once Forbade Them
With unions now representing educators in its largest district, Virginia is seeing a labor resurgence.
Olina Banerji, June 10, 2024
7 min read
A statue of confederate general Stonewall Jackson is removed on July 1, 2020, in Richmond, Va. Shenandoah County, Virginia's school board voted 5-1 early Friday, May 10, 2024, to rename Mountain View High School as Stonewall Jackson High School and Honey Run Elementary as Ashby Lee Elementary four years after the names had been removed.
A statue of confederate general Stonewall Jackson is removed on July 1, 2020, in Richmond, Va. The Shenandoah County, Va. school board voted 5-1 on May 10, 2024, to restore the names of Confederate leaders and soldiers to two schools, four years after the names had been removed.
Steve Helber/AP
Equity & Diversity A School Board Reinstated Confederate School Names. Could It Happen Elsewhere?
Shenandoah County's school board voted in May to reinstate two Confederate names. Researchers wonder if others will, too.
Brooke Schultz, June 6, 2024
7 min read