Virginia Schools Focus on the Needs of Families

Virginia Schools are not alone in meeting the challenges of rising standards and inadequate funding. Efforts to update the state's Standards of Learning (SOL) have been on-going since the late 1990s; long before the 2001 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act was implemented. What Virginia Schools have discovered is that there is not a "one size fits all" solution to education reform.

A 2007 Center on Education Policy report confirmed this belief when it said that the most successfully reformed schools analyzed data and made targeted and specific reforms. Different districts in the Virginia Schools are looking for the best ways to meet the needs of their students. The Virginia Beach City Public Schools is a great example. Due to its large military population, this corner of Virginia Schools has challenges with families on the move, absent parents and single parents. Several Virginia Schools are utilizing this information to make improvements.

Troop Tube: Operation Graduation is one way that the Virginia Schools are trying to help meet the needs of their families. The local cable company, Cox Communications, has donated the equipment to transmit 11 Virginia Schools High School Graduations over the internet. Military family members, or distanced love ones, can view the graduation on the district website at www.vbschools.com

According to Virginia Beaches School Superintendent Dr. James G. Merrill, "Nearly 24 percent of our students are connected to the military. It's critical that we find innovative ways to meet their needs. By the very nature of their jobs and commitment to our country, these military families are often separated for holidays and important family occasions. This initiative is just one way to help them stay connected."

Another concern of these Virginia Schools is the large number of single parents. Virginia Schools and the National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) have teamed up to provide support and information to help engage single parents in their child's education. There are over 12.3 million single parents in the United States. Virginia Schools and the Virginia Beach District offers workshops aimed at helping single-family parents overcome obstacles to their child's education.

Many studies have found correlations between low income, single parent households, minority status, and low academic achievement. Virginia Schools have identified the education and support of parents of at-risk learners as a key step to improving that achievement gap. The NNPS has provided Virginia Schools with a six-tiered program outlining the keys to successful community and parent involvement. The six keys are: parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, and collaborating with community. Virginia Schools are hopeful that increased and meaningful parent involvement combined with support for high academic standards will help increase student achievement.

New York Schools Plan For The Future

New York Schools encompass two different worlds: New York City and New York State. Assessments of the two are generally separate since the thriving metropolis of New York City is a different world from the New York Schools that make up the rest of this rural and suburban state.

Johanna Duncan-Poitier, recently named senior Deputy Commissioner of Education
P-16, recently revealed the Board of Regent's plan for the New York Schools outside of the city limits. While these New York Schools retain a national reputation for excellence, they still face challenges in educating the vast and diverse students in its many districts. Duncan-Poitier announced an unprecedented $1.7 billion budget that New York Schools will use to improve graduation rates, raise learning standards and increase accountability.

Among the issues that New York Schools are dealing with are: charter schools, time for instruction and inequity in learning. The last, a learning imbalance, seems to occur during the middle school years. 70% of New York Schools' fourth grade students passed the reading and writing exams, while only 48% of eighth graders passed. This challenge is compounded by the gap black and Hispanic children face in reaching similar achievement goals.

One way some New York Schools addressed this challenge was by extending the length of the school day in 2006. Their results will determine whether other schools follow suit.

New York Schools also struggle with the success of its charter schools. Since implementing the charter school concept in 1999 New York Schools have debated their success. Success or failure of charter schools is highly individual. Some New York Schools in the charter system boast success and have waiting lists of children hoping to enroll. Other educators in the New York Schools argue that the success of these charters rests partially in the fact that they take fewer disabled, non-English speaking and poor students. These are all factors that negatively impact a student's success in school.

Charter Schools were first established to give New York Schools' students choice with out the private school price tag. It's also beneficial for New York Schools to keep students enrolled in the system, since schools receive tax dollars on a per pupil basis. Many parents and educators don't like the charter school concept because they feel it dilutes the positive effects of New York Schools by removing the most involved parents from the public school setting.

The P-16 Plan introduced this month is based on findings of the most recent report card for New York Schools. Initiatives designed to go into effect in the fall bear the burden of maintaining the reputation of New York Schools as some of the best in the county.