I am new to this role and hope to provide many useful resources and information updates for Virginia teachers and administrators. As a 40-year veteran teacher and teacher educator, I have experience teaching secondary English in the public schools, as an officer in the Virginia Association of Teachers of English (VATE) and in NCTE (I am a former president), and as Commonwealth Professor in the School of Education at VCU. Please feel free to contact me at lchriste@vcu.edu as I will attempt to provide an update on current events and a contact should you need or request information. So much is going on in education and in English language arts—I hope this space will become useful for you and a source of ongoing advocacy for our classrooms and our students–
First, Lynchburg instructional coaches were in the news a few weeks ago; please see this article on how they are teaching teachers. Go, Lynchburg!
http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/lynchburg-s-instructional-coaches-take-on-the-task-of-teaching/article_68956493-089b-5127-9451-3a7e0739d216.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share
Second, Governor Terry McAuliffe’s Children’s Cabinet has released its annual report (perhaps many of you know that the Governor *had* a Children’s Cabinet—it was news to me). Accomplishments include work with Petersburg City Public Schools, data and training regarding students staying in school and *out* of the juvenile justice system; and budget recommendations to support Virginia children. For the entire annual report, please clickhere.
Third, these news items and reports from October may be of interest:
Significant Education Cases on Supreme Court Docket
2016’s Best & Worst States for Teachers
ESSA Clears Out Underbrush on School Improvement Path
Selected Statistics from the Public Elementary and Secondary Education Universe: School Year 2014-15
The Unintended Consequences of Taking a Hard Line on School Discipline
New Teachers Make Up a Significant Segment of Profession
CCSSO Resources: The Every Student Succeeds Act
High Standards and Better Tests Help Students Improve
English Language Learners under ESSA webinar
Infographic: A National Portrait of the Health and Education of Hispanic Boys and Young Men
State of Our Cities: Profiles of Education Performance Around the Nation
Assessment Matters: Constructing Model State Systems to Replace Testing Overkill
Bias Isn’t Just a Police Problem, It’s a Preschool Problem
Crunching the Numbers on College and Career Readiness
What High School Education Looks Like for the Nation’s English-Learners
For LGBT Students, Are ‘Safe Schools’ Enough?
High School Students Carrying Weapons
Finally, please note these specific resources for Virginia educators, resources you may want to archive for this academic year (thank you Lu Ann McNabb at NCTE):
Virginia Education Association:http://www.veanea.org/home/582.htm
Commonwealth Educational Policy Institute:http://www.cepi.vcu.edu/
Virginia PTA Proposed 2017 Legislative Program
Virginia Department of Education:http://www.doe.virginia.gov/
VA DOE Education Legislation:http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/legislation/
Virginia
Bills for 2017 General Assembly Legislative Session