Education

Earlier this week, we told you about the latest survey from the American Association of University Professors – a look at salaries paid to tenured faculty members.   That same survey brought discouraging news for associate professors – more senior than assistants but not yet full professors.

Many Virginians go into the military hoping to retain skills that will provide career opportunities once they leave the armed forces. Homeless and jobless rates continue to rise because Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are finding it difficult to get certification or college credits for their training to qualify for civilian jobs.   But at least one group studying the issue is developing short-term solutions to this problem. 

A Virginia Tech doctoral student’s project to feed low income residents of Roanoke has grown to include elementary schools, students, and teachers. 

Tammy Parece’s doctoral project sounded simple enough.  She wanted to find the best locations to establish community gardens in Roanoke to help eliminate hunger.  The perfect locations must have temperatures cool enough to support a garden. 

The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank that promotes free markets, is out with a study suggesting increased spending for education makes no difference in students’ achievement, but critics dismiss that conclusion.

It appears that while state lawmakers have lots of work to do in hashing out a compromise over Medicaid, they HAVE made some progress with education reforms that relate to the budget.  The General Assembly revised the Standards of Learning assessments, charter school enrollment policy, and the process to measure schools using an A through F grading system.