Compass Point
A Weekly Collection of Data, Articles and Insights from the Commonwealth Educational Policy Institute
A project of the Virginia Commonwealth University's Center for Public Policy
L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs
Recent State and Local Education News
General Assembly considering education funding, career readiness

The Daily Press
January 4, 2016

Gov. Terry McAuliffe has said he wants to see "a transformative budget on education" emerge from the coming legislative session.


He put funding for 2,500 new K-12 teachers in his spending proposal. He has called for a number of higher education changes meant to boost the state's trade workforce.


The governor's Republican counterparts in the legislature like a number of his proposals, and agree some new funding is needed for a system that never financially recovered from post-recession budget cuts.


SCHEV names 13 outstanding faculty members
The Richmond Times-Dispatch
December 25, 2015

A Virginia Commonwealth University professor who studies forgiveness and a researcher working to advance the treatment of allergic disease are among 13 recipients of the state’s 2016 Outstanding Faculty Award. 


Psychology professor Everett L. Worthington Jr. is a clinical psychologist and internationally recognized expert in the field of forgiveness and reconciliation. He also has worked to nurture researchers studying forgiveness in parts of Africa torn by strife.


Virginia governor proposes funding increase to hire additional teachers
The Washington Post
December 16, 2015

Gov. Terry McAuliffe on Wednesday proposed providing funding to hire an additional teacher in every Virginia public school, an ambitious plan to ramp up spending for K-12 education in the Commonwealth.

The governor wants to add $1 billion overall in state funding for K-12 and higher education, a proposal that could face strong opposition from a Republican-dominated statehouse.

McAuliffe (D) has hinted since August that he would call for a greater investment in education. On Tuesday, he announced his proposal for a $48 million boost for college financial aid. And earlier this week, he announced he wanted to raise salaries for state employees, including teachers. States and local school districts share the cost of teacher salaries, with wealthier districts —such as those in Northern Virginia — footing a greater portion of the bill.


Recent National Education News
Arne Duncan calls for addressing gun violence in final speech as education secretary
The Washington Post

December 30, 2015

Arne Duncan used his last speech as U.S. Education Secretary to draw attention to violence that claims the lives of thousands of children each year, saying that the “greatest frustration” of his seven-year tenure has been Washington’s failure to pass gun control legislation.

Fighting off tears, Duncan said that 16,000 young people were killed during his first six years in office. “We have to get guns out of the wrong people’s hands. We have to make sure our babies are safe,” said Duncan, who plans to step down on Thursday.


Meet John King, Acting Secretary of Education
HOMEROOM Blog (US DOE)
January 1, 2016

Every New Year offers the chance for each of us to set new personal goals to make us healthier, happier, or more productive. In 2016, I hope you’ll join me as I recommit myself to ensuring that every child in America—regardless of background or circumstance—has access to an excellent education.

I’m honored and humbled by the opportunity President Obama has given me to build on the many accomplishments he and my friend Arne Duncan have achieved over the past seven years.

 

 



What's in the 2016 Commonwealth Education Poll?

Happy New Year from all of us here at CEPI!

This week's Compass Point will be brief as we are busy compiling and analyzing the first release of the 2016 Commonwealth Education Poll, due out Monday, January 11th at 11:30am.  To ring in the New Year, we thought we'd give you a quick run down on the types of questions we asked our respondents this year.  

K-12 Funding 
There's a lot more to education than just funding, but the fiscal aspect of education is always a key issue for state lawmakers and local officials trying to weigh education priorities against things like roads, social services and prisons. Each year we ask a succession of funding questions about K-12 education:

  1. In your opinion, how much does the amount of money spent on the public schools affect the quality of students' education – a great deal, quite a lot, not too much, or not at all?
  2. Overall, do you think the funding for public schools in Virginia is enough to meet their needs, or not enough to meet their needs?
  3. Would you be willing or not willing to pay higher taxes so that school funding could be increased?
  4. As I mention a few areas that receive money from the state government, tell me if you would be willing or not willing to pay more in taxes in order to keep the program going at its current level.
    • Public schools
    • Mental health services
    • Universities and higher education
    • Prisons
    • Programs for aid to low-income families
    • Transportation
Testing, Accountability and Support for Low-Performing Schools
High-stakes testing continues to be a key debate for education policy-makers.  As in past years we ask several questions that gauge perceptions of Virginia's Standards of Learning, as well as a question about support for additional funding for low performing schools.   
  1. Now I’m going to read you some statements about Standards of Learning, or S-O-L, which are a standardized testing program for public schools in Virginia. For each statement, please tell me how much you agree or disagree.
    • The SOL tests make sure that all students in Virginia meet the same academic standards
    • The SOL tests are putting too much pressure on students
    • The SOL tests hold schools accountable for student achievement
    • So much class time is spent preparing for the SOL tests that teachers can't cover all the important material
    • The SOL tests help improve student achievement
  2. One of the ongoing policy challenges is low-performing schools. Would you be willing or not willing to pay more in taxes in order to provide additional resources to high-poverty, low-performing schools that are working to increase student performance?
Policy toward English Learners
A recent JLARC report noted the increasing diversity in Virginia school systems, including a growth in the number of students who are English Learners (often part of the transition for recent immigrants).  Given the hot button nature of immigration policy on the national stage, we wanted to see what public opinion in Virginia is regarding two specific policy choices.   
  1. Would you favor or oppose more state funds being used to ensure that public school parents who only understand limited English have access to information about their children’s education in a language they fully understand?
  2. Many families who come from other countries have school-age children who understand little or no English. Which one of the following do you think is the BEST way for public schools to handle the education of non-English-speaking students, even if none of these is exactly right?
    • Require students to learn English in special classes AT THE PARENTS’ EXPENSE before enrolling in regular classes
    • Require public schools to provide instruction in the students’ native language
    • Require students to learn English in separate public school classes before enrolling in regular classes
Virtual Education and Career Readiness
The "Top Jobs" legislation during Governor McDonnell's term placed greater emphasis on career readiness, something that Governor McAuliffe has continued to tout.  There have also been recent efforts to expand virtual platforms for educating students in Virginia.  We asked a series of questions to better understand the public's viewpoint on some of these leading edges of education policy. 
  1. There are increasing opportunities for students to earn high school credits online over the Internet. Even if you do not currently have kids, would you be willing to have your child earn ALL of their high school credits online, just some or none at all?
  2. Policymakers are considering various ways to align high school learning with the needs of employers. One proposal is to have students focus on general skills in grades 9 and 10, and classes focused on their desired career in grades 11 and 12. Would you favor or oppose organizing education in Virginia public high schools this way?
  3. Some schools have adopted a policy that requires all eighth graders to develop a career plan for themselves. Would you favor or oppose such a policy being adopted by your local school system?
  4. Thinking about students and their future, please tell me how much you agree or disagree with each of the following statements:
    • Today’s HIGH SCHOOL graduate is ready for the world of work
    • Today’s HIGH SCHOOL graduate is ready for college
    • Today’s COMMUNITY COLLEGE graduate is ready for the world of work
    • Today’s COMMUNITY COLLEGE graduate is ready for a four-year college or university
    • Today’s FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY graduate is ready for the world of work
Safety in Public Schools
In the wake of mass shootings across the United States, safety for students from violence is a continuing concern, both in K-12 and higher ed.  We ask a series of questions to understand the public's perception of how safe schools are at both levels and revisit the question of reporting requirements for sexual assault that policymakers wrestled with last session.  
  1. In general, do you feel the public schools in your community are very safe, safe, not very safe, not at all safe?
  2. Which approach to school safety do you most agree with, even if neither is exactly right?
Safety on University Campuses
  1. Based on what you know, how safe are college and university campuses in Virginia?
  2. Currently, any university employee who becomes aware of a sexual assault accusation must report it to the school’s Title 9 investigator as soon as they can reasonably do so. If it is determined that the safety of the campus is at risk, the university must report the allegation to the police, even if the victim does not want it reported. How much do you support or oppose this law?
Higher Education Performance and Impact
Finally, we asked a series of questions to see what the public thought about the performance of the commonwealth's public colleges and universities as well as a question about the economic impact created by those same public institutions.
  1. How much do you think Virginia’s public colleges and universities contribute to economic development in your area?
  2. Overall do you think that colleges and universities in Virginia are doing a good job or bad job:
    • In providing the skills that will be useful in obtaining a job
    • In developing students’ writing and communication skills
    • In producing graduates in scientific fields, such as engineering, math and technology
    • In preparing students for the workforce needs of the future  

 

We look forward to sharing the results with you next week.  Stay tuned!

Sincerely,
CEPI