Amy Yarborough, a veteran teacher and curriculum resource leader in a rural district in Virginia, facilitates a professional learning community focused on social justice and equity-oriented instructional practices. When allegations of teaching critical race theory are reported via the state's email tip line and community social media groups, Amy…

The increasing need for highly-skilled employees in the workplace has policymakers and higher education leaders focused on innovative ways for students to access postsecondary education. These access points can include online programs, prior learning assessments and, the subject of this snapshot, competency-based education. The National Center for…

For much of the last two decades, beginning with the passage of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in 2002, the top political leaders have shown concern about children stuck in failing public schools. NCLB required districts to do something -- not enough, but something -- about those schools. Millions of children still languish in low-performing schools,…

Minority students and students with disabilities are disciplined disproportionately from their peers. Discipline has led to many negative consequences in the lives of youth in the United States, including the school-to-prison pipeline. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Education issued guidance encouraging school districts to develop policies that…

The Virginia Board of Education's "Student Conduct Policy Guidelines" were first developed in 1994 in response to action by the 1993 General Assembly requiring the Virginia Board of Education to establish such guidelines. In 2004, the "Guidelines" underwent a major revision in response to requirements of § 22.1-279.6. of the…

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) follows education budgets and legislation during regular and special legislative sessions. Current actions are found in Legislative Reports that are released on a timely basis during the months that SREB state legislatures are in session, usually from January through July. These reports follow education…

Virginia--the only state in the nation to bar school board elections--recently cleared the way for elected boards. Recounts the history of school boards in the state. A map illustrates the 19 states that allow both elected and appointed school boards, according to local option. (MLF)

Traces zero tolerance from federal Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994 through state compliance and state board of education regulations to school district policy and guidelines in Virginia. Reviews Virginia case involving suspension of a middle-school student for having a paring knife in his locker. Reviews other zero-tolerance cases. Questions the…

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) follows education budgets and legislation during regular and special legislative sessions. Current actions are found in Legislative Reports that are released on a timely basis during the months that SREB state legislatures are in session, usually from January through July. These reports follow education…

Questions the current push to improve education through legislation of higher standards in education. In Virginia the school boards association distributes a handbook of policies and resolutions to state legislators and asks that schools delinquent in standards be placed in receivership rather than impose educational reforms from above that are…

In Senate Joint Resolution No. 117, Virginia's General Assembly endorsed the process for restructuring education in the middle school grades and requested that the Board of Education determine the appropriateness of designating the middle school as a separate level in the educational structure. The study summarized in this report first considered…

In 1974 the Virginia General Assembly adopted a senate resolution directing the state board of education to study laws preventing youths from choosing alternatives to compulsory school attendance. The board appointed a committee that studied the matter and made recommendations concerning the development of graduation requirements reflecting…

Guidelines for the development and implementation of a public school uniform policy are presented in this document. Written during spring 1991 in response to Virginia House Bill 1206, which directed the state board of education to develop model policy guidelines by January 1, 1992, the suggestions serve as a practical guide for planning,…

A political struggle has developed in Virginia between its state superintendent of public instruction and the educational community. The primary disagreement is in the area of teacher certification, although admission requirements to teacher education programs are also disputed. The Teacher Education Advisory Committee (TEAC), composed of…

In response to a Virginia legislative mandate, this study examined the use of Child Study Committees (CSCs) for identifying and assessing the educational needs of children with attention deficit disorder (ADD). The study reviewed a 1986 Department of Education policy document on child studies and conducted a telephone survey of elementary, middle,…