VIDEO: Vern Williams Talks Education with Fairfax GOP
Legendary math teacher Vern Williams recently discussed current trends and controversies in K-12 education, with Fairfax GOP Vice Chairman for Strategy and Engagement Srilekha Palle.
Williams advocates teaching what he calls “real math,” not “fuzzy math.” Twice honored by the Mathematics Association of America for distinguished teaching, Williams additionally served on the National Advisory Mathematics Advisory Panel during the George W. Bush Administration.
Gov. Youngkin Issues “School Choice Week” Proclamation
Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced this week as School Choice Week, and issued a proclamation highlighting the importance of school choice for Virginia’s students and parents. “As your governor, I will continually stand up for students and parents and will sign the largest education budget in Virginia’s history. Our goal is that every student will graduate high school ready to go to college or start a great career. Choice and innovation within public education is vital to achieving that goal. That’s why together we will not only raise standards and raise teacher pay, but we will invest $150 million to kick start 20 new charter schools in the Commonwealth. We must empower parents and students with choice and innovation in K-12 public education,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin.
Black Republicans Win Big on Election Night 2021
Congratulations to all of the Black Republican candidates who made history Tuesday night winning their state-wide and local elections across the country.
Republican trailblazer Winsome Sears defied the odds to become the first Black woman elected to serve as Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor.
ICYMI: Youngkin’s Bold Vision to Fix Our Schools
For months, for months, we’ve seen chaos seep into our schools, escalating into violence. Violence in our schools that lack security. A new instance each week until the unthinkable happened: Virginia – and America – awoke to the news that a young teenage girl had been sexually assaulted in her Loudoun County school – and worse, the school administrators covered it up, and Loudoun’s commonwealth attorney targeted the victim’s family.
PURVES: Return the Surplus, Don’t Reward Failed Schools
Virginia ended Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 with a record-breaking budget surplus of $2.6 billion. (Virginia’s budget year, or fiscal year, is from July 1 to June 30.) Virginia Governor Ralph Northam stated that the surplus was due to Virginia’s great business climate, pointing out that CNBC ranked Virginia as the #1 state for being business friendly. Not everyone agrees with CNBC. The Virginia Industry Foundation last November ranked Virginia as #11.
INTERVIEW: Steve Knotts on the Rapid Decline of FCPS
Fairfax GOP Chairman Steve Knotts joined WMAL’s O’Connor & Company this week, to discuss plummeting standardized test results in the county’s government-run schools. “It’s absolutely terrible,” Knotts said on Monday’s program.
New data from the Virginia Department of Education revealed significant learning losses in reading, math and science among students enrolled in Fairfax County Public Schools.
FREE E-BOOK: 2021 Curious Parent’s Guide to Education Options
My neighbor recently opted out of “Zoom schooling.” In March 2021, after a year of remote schooling and a slow move to a hybrid classroom model, this mom was fed up with the low quality of education her daughter was receiving from the public school system. So, she decided to take advantage of other options. She unenrolled her child from the district school and registered her as a homeschooler, with plans for private school in the fall. A couple of weeks later, another neighbor did the same thing.
New Coalition Launches: “Educators for Youngkin”
Political outsider, successful business leader, and Republican nominee for governor Glenn Youngkin announced today the launch of “Educators for Youngkin,” a coalition of teachers, parents, educators, and community members across Virginia that are committed to restoring excellence in education. Glenn Youngkin and the Educators for Youngkin Coalition will work to fix standards and underperformance in all Virginia schools.
New Poll Confirms Widespread Support for School Choice
According to a new poll from Echelon Insights, polling more than 1,100 registered voters, a majority of voters are supportive of school choice (65% vs. 19% opposed) while 16% are unsure. This is true across party lines, with 75% of Republicans, 60% of Independents, and 61% of Democrats saying they strongly or somewhat support school choice.
ICYMI: Sen. Tim Scott Defends America
This past year, I’ve watched COVID attack every rung of the ladder that helped me up.
So many families have lost parents and grandparents too early. So many small businesses have gone under. Becoming a Christian transformed my life — but for months, too many churches were shut down.
Most of all, I am saddened that millions of kids have lost a year of learning when they could not afford to lose a day.