Getting Virginia K-12 Education
Back on Track
For Rockingham County School Board Meeting Schedule - Click HERE
To speak at a School Board Meeting, sign up on the list at the door before the meeting starts. The school board generally meets twice a month, except for June, July, and December when it meets once.
​
News About Educating Our Children, K-12
​
Education News 2021 to March 2022
​
Education News April to December 2022
​
Education News January to June 2023
​
Education News July to December 2023
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
​
​
​
Dec 27, 2024, How Northern Virginia School Districts Are Handling Cell Phone Rules, Washington Post
​
Dec 27, 2024, Six Observations From a Devastating International Math Test, The Hechinger Report
​
Dec 19, 2024, Virginia's Largest High School Cancels Two Days of Classes After Fights, ABC News
[Alexandria High School, formerly T.C. Williams, students and faculty were injured. Funding for school resource officers was cancelled in 2021, but quickly restored after fights and a student bringing a gun to school. ]
​​
​
​
Dec 5, 2024, U.S. Students Posted Dire Math Scores on International Tests, NY Times
​
Nov 26, 2024, Six New Courses Approved for Rockingham County Schools, Daily News Record
​
​
​​
[Backstory - the Hayfield athletic director illegally recruited for a super team, local judge said that could play after Hayfield parents sued when the team was barred by Virginia athletic assn]
​
[Wristbands signify girls sports should be for biological girls]
​
​
Nov 21, 2024, Should High School Juniors Stop Worrying About the ACT and the SAT?, Forbes
​​
Nov 20, 2024, Virginia Lawmakers Will Consider Compact to Stem Teacher Shortage, Virginia Mercury
​
[It's not offered and teachers in poorest schools have less training]
​
​
Nov 16, 2024, More States Are Ditching Exams as High School Graduation Requirements, ABC News
​
​​
​
Nov 12, 2024, Rockingham County School Board to Decide on Six New Courses, Daily News Record
​
Oct 11, 2024, Once Ranked Top High School in Nation, TJHSST Drops Again, Fairfax County Times
​
Oct 9, 2024, Good Housekeeping's 2024 Kids Book Awards, Good Housekeeping
[A list of books with testers' comments to keep you abreast of what is being discussed.]
​
​
​
​
Sept 2024, Good Teachers Hold the Key to Learning Loss Recovery, Education Next
​
Aug 26, 2024, Alternative Assessments Left Out of SOL Scores: Fairfax County Schools, The Patch
[Standards of Learning omitted state-approved alternative testing for Fairfax, drawing a complaint]
​
Aug 20, 2024, Former Elkton Teacher Arrested - Police Allege Sex Crimes, Daily News Record
​
​
July 19, 2024, 10 Classic Kids Books From the 1990s That Have Aged Poorly, Screen Rant
​
​
​
[Order aims to have local school divisions adopt new cell phone policy by January 1, 2025]
​
​
June 25, 2024, Virginia Governor Youngkin's Education Department Documents Reveal Changes to African American History Program, WRIC ABC 8 News
​​
June 25, 2024, NEA Slams Moms For Liberty Without Looking in the Mirror, Daily Signal
​
​
​
​
[math classes should prioritize cultural, racial, and gender diversity]
​
​
​
May 17, 2024, How a DEI Rebrand is Playing Out in K-12 Schools, Education Week
​
​
​
[PPS was on a list of 200 school districts using restorative justice obtain by Crisis in the Classroom studying used of the practices and unprecedented rise in classroom behavioral issues ]
​
[Female student livestreamed classroom fight (relationship to students fighting unknown) was expelled for cyberbullying, harassment, and attempting to injure another person among other alleged student code violations. Student said her generation livestreams everything]
​
​
[Incident where 13-year old struck a 12-year-old with a metal cup at Pennbrooke Middle School in North Wales, Pennsylvania]
​
Mar 31, 2024, Schools Tap Vague Rules To Enforce Discipline and Suspend Students, USA Today
​
Mar 31, 2024, Why Seattle Public Schools Is Closing Its Highly Capable Cohort Program, Seattle Times
​
​
Mar 29, 2024, Virginia Board of Education Changes School Rating System, Richmond Times Dispatch
[Rating based on four categories]
​
​
​
Mar 29, 2024, Behavioral Problems in One NYC School, The Cut
[When your kid is the problem child in a 3rd grade classroom]
[District contributed $22 million, Univ of Rochester nothing]
​
Mar 29, 2024, Roosevelt Elementary Delenda Est, Wall Street Journal
[A Michigan School District would rather bulldoze a school than see it be used as a charter school]
​
[Plaintiffs child was accused of making racist comments and was later attacked on at least a couple of occasions and the school failed to adequately protect her child]
​
​
Mar 27, 2024, Arizona Bill Would Get State Involved in Discipline, AZ Capitol Times
​
Mar 26, 2024, LA Schools Sued for Hiding Curriculum on Transgenderism and CRT, Washington Examiner
​
​
Mar 26, 2024, Arizona Board of Education Rejects School Voucher Rule Changes, NBC 12 News
​
Mar 25, 2024, Loudoun County School Board To Cut Cameras on Public Comments, WTOP
​
[Report was commissioned by Republican French Senators]
​
​
[Goldwater Institute Fighting For Parental Rights]
​
Mar 18, 2024, High School Male Pushes Females Out of Top High Jump Honors, Daily Signal
​
Mar 6, 2024, Pennsylvania School Districts Preparing for Worst-Case Scenarios, WNEP ABC TV
[After many violent threats against public schools officials are preparing]
​
Feb 22, 2024, Roanoke City Schools Cancels Classes Thursday to Investigate Threats, WDBJ 7
​
Feb 21, 2024, Roanoke's Patrick Henry High School Hold-and-Secure Is Over, WDBJ 7 CBS
[Threat found not credible]
​
​
[Teacher was watching adult content on his phone visible to the students]
​
​
​
​
​
Feb 13, 2024, Virginia's First Adult High School Approved for Roanoke, WSLS NBC 10 News
​
Feb 9, 2024, Massachusetts Student Fights 'Two Genders' Shirt Ban, NBC News
​
​
Feb 8, 2024, Dozens of Illinois Schools Have Zero Students Proficient in Math and Reading, Fox News
​
​
​
Feb 2, 2024, America is Facing and STEM and Data Education Crisis, The Hill
​
Feb 2, 2024, Virginia Lawmakers Consider Sweeping Changes to Special Education, Virginia Mercury
​
Jan 31, 2024, Who's Banning Books? So Far, Only Augusta County, News Leader
​
​
​
[Mothers cited drug use, unsecured entrances and other safety issues]
​
Jan 22, 2024, 'Hate Crime for Being White at a Football Game' Leads to Legal Action, Truth Press
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
Jan 17, 2024, What Happens When A School Bans Smartphones? A Dramatic Transformation, The Guardian
​
Jan 17, 2024, Short-Burst Tutoring in Literacy Shows Promise for Young Readers, The 74
​
​
Jan 15, 2024, How To Build Students Reading Stamina, Ed Week
​
​
[Officials say there were more than 3,500 vacancies last year]
​
​
Jan 10, 2024, The SAT Debate Shows We Need to Rethinnk High School GPA, Forbes
[standardized tests predict college success more than grades; GPA measures the wtong thing - obedience and role adherence to org structures]
​
Jan 10, 2024, Temporary Removal of Books in County Contributes to National Trend, Daily News Record
​
​
​
Jan 8, 2024, THe Misguided War on Standardized Tests for Admission, Forbes
​
​
[1 Sixth Grader Killed, 5 injured, IED foundd, suspect had shotgun and handgun; other reports alleged he was bullied and may have been gender fluid; suspect killed himself]
​
​
​
Jan 2, 2024, Florida Teachers File Federal Lawsuit over State's Anti-Groom Law, Western Journal
​
​
​
​
Let the Parents Decide
​
The Republican Party believes in sensible, cost-effective policies that respect your family's and our community's values and priorities. The educational environment and practices should be conducive to learning. Parental involvement is associated with successful student achievement and schools.
​
Our children's futures depend upon their receiving a full education. Our expectation is that our children will receive a full education for the generous funding that the taxpayers have provided for education. The educational achievements and outcomes should be reflective of the community's expectations. Transparency in making school policy, selecting curriculum, setting instructional goals, and providing educational opportunity should be a given.
​
​
​
Resources on Education
​​​
NGS 2024 Glass and Security Survey - Explore New Campus Security Insights
​
Fall 2024 - Hoover Institution Proposes Massive K-12 School Reform
​
Heritage Foundation Education Freedom Report Card By State (2023)​
​
Misinterpretation of SB1303 Regarding Mandate for Children To Wear Masks in School
​
Virginia for Education Freedom (School Choice)
​
​​
Oct 11, 2024, 7 Ways to Show Students Their Education Growth, Edutopia
​
​
How Many High Schoolers Carry a Gun? USA FACTS (Apr 2023)
​
May 25, 2022, Four Steps Every School Can Take to Help Prevent Shootings, Daily Signal
​
​
​
Dec 10, 2021, Most Commonly Spoken Language in the US After English and Spanish, Visual Capitalist
[Mandarin and Cantonese in many states]
​
Dec 7, 2021, Hundreds of College Professors Blast Woke Math Movement, New York Post
​
Dec 7, 2021, Here is the Biggest Supreme Court Case No One Is Talking About, Washington Free Beacon
[Justices are expected to rule favorably on school vouchers for religious schools]
​
​
​
​
Nov 9, 2021, A Healthier, Moral Way to Navigate Modern Dating and Sex Culture, Daily Signal
​
Oct 29, 2021, How a Mom's Group - Moms for Liberty - Could Shake-Up 2022 Election, Daily Caller
​
​
​
​
June 9, 2021, Children Protected by 'Reasonable Independence' Laws in Three States, Treehugger
​
​
Apr 29, 2021, Expand School Choice and Provide Fiscal Relief to Districts, Hoover Institution
​
Apr 29, 2021, Don't Let Public Schools Control Students Private Speech, Washington Examiner
​
Apr 27, 2021, Conclusions: How to Improve Our Schools in the Post-COVID Era, Hoover Institution
​
Apr 25, 2021, Some Examples of Critical Race Theory in Schools, Washington Free Beacon
​
​
Mar 25, 2021, High School Coach Fired For Using Audible Anti-Semitic Football Calls, Yahoo News
​
​
​
[8-1 Ruling Strikes Blow Against Campus Policies Targeting Religious Expression, Chief Justice Roberts was the only dissenter]
​
Feb 24, 2021, Website Tracks Which Colleges Embrace Training in Critical Race Theory, Daily Signal
​
​
Feb 16, 2021, It's Time to Hold School Boards Accountable, Daily Signal
​
Why America is Free (Why Knowing Our History Matters)
​
Jan 26, 2021, Inside the 'Diversity Audit' Conducted at a Top US Prep School. Washington Free Beacon
​
​
Dec 19, 2020, School Choice Lowers Teenage Suicide: Study, Washington Examiner
​
2020 Demographic Report on America's 4 Million Teachers, USA Facts
​
​
​
Dec 4, 2020, San Diego Required Anti-Racism Training for Teachers, Washington Free Beacon
​
​
Dec 1, 2020, Toward Equitable School Choice, Hoover Education Success Initiative, Hoover Institution
​
Healthy Buildings Research and Guidance, Harvard T.H. Chan School for Health
​
Nov 13, 2020, Updated Guidance for Schools and Child Care Programs
​
Oct 29, 2020, Updated CDC Guidelines for Operating Schools During COVID
​
​
Fall 2020, How Family Background Influences Student Achievement, Education Next
​
Fall 2020, How to Reduce Racial Bias in Grading, Education Next
​
Fall 2020, High School Exit Exams Are Tough on Crime, Education Next
​
​
American Education in 2030: K-12 Task Force Papers, Hoover Institution
​
Jun 15, 2020, The Future of School Accountability, Hoover Institution
​
May 28, 2020, Nine Jobs for High School Graduates, Indeed.com
​
Mar 7, 2020, Top Five Skills Needed When Graduating from High School, Maximum Potential (maxpt,org)
​
​
May 3, 2020, Hiring Expectations for Recent College Graduates, The Strategic CFO
​
​
Andrew Pollack and Max Eden, Why Meadow Died: The People and Policies that Created the Parkland Shooter and Endanger America's Students, New York: Post Hill Press, 2019. Andrew Pollack's Daughter Meadow was killed by the Parkland, Florida shooter at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School. He describes how an avoidable shooting became inevitable when the shooter slipped through the cracks and how the policies pioneered in the Broward County School District are in wide use in other school districts.
​
Dec 25, 2018, Legislative Committee Releases School Safety Report, Daily News Record
​
Commentary and Opinion on Education
​
Dec 2, 2020, Walter Williams: The Tragedy of Black Education is New. Daily Signal
​
​
​