Ahead of next week's start of the Virginia General Assembly Session, GOP lawmakers are rolling out new initiatives in public education.
One reform is a revamped version of an unpopular law—which they say should be more useful to parents and stakeholders.
GOP Delegates say they want to help students develop real-world, critical thinking skills—which are not achieved through multiple-choice testing. In order to do that, House Majority Leader Kirk Cox says more teacher professional development is needed, including a process to share best practices.
They also propose flexibility in how often schools are accredited by giving waivers to schools with a track record of success. Then there's the controversial A-F school report card. The lawmakers say after listening to parents and educators, they’re proposing a more comprehensive method of measuring school performance using multiple metrics.
Governor McAuliffe also announced his education agenda in Norfolk. Those proposals include requiring all home day care centers to be licensed, funding training programs for principals and school board members in struggling school divisions, and allowing retired educators to teach in schools with teacher shortages without impacting their retirement.
