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
More staff, smaller classes among concerns shared with Gov. McAuliffe during Virginia Beach forum

The Virginian-Pilot
September 28, 2015

Paul Wilson stepped away from his 32-student biology class in Portsmouth to tell Gov. Terry McAuliffe about the challenges facing teachers.

McAuliffe, in Virginia Beach's Kellam High School today for an education roundtable, wanted to know what teachers needed.

Wilson echoed a panel of educators: more time to plan, more staff to reduce class sizes and more resources to help students learn.. . .

Virginia Department of Education investigating Franklin Co. Public Schools
WDBJ - CBS7
September 25, 2015

The Virginia Department of Education is investigating Franklin County Public Schools.

School leaders tell us the state is looking into allegations of violations of Special Education Regulations and other practices that question data reported to the state.
The department of education will conduct an onsite investigation.

School leaders say they welcome the investigation and will fully cooperate. . .

VASS Survey Says Virginia's Schools Pushed to Limits by Funding Cuts
Newsplex.com
September 28, 2015

A survey shows that reductions in state funding for public education and efforts by localities to replace lost funds have pushed Virginia's schools to the limits of their human and financial capacity to meet expectations and serve the needs of students.

The Virginia Association of School Superintendents conducted the survey this past spring.

According to a report to the General Assembly, Virginia relies more on localities to fund K-12 than other states and Virginia's localities pay the highest share of total K-12 spending in the Southeast region.

The report also says school divisions in Virginia are spending less per student than they did a decade ago, and they are the verge of becoming less effective instructionally as a result. . .


Marker to commemorate “First Lady of Education”
The News & Advance
September 25, 2015

Lynchburg’s “first lady of education” will be commemorated with a historical marker today.

A graduate of Howard University, Pauline Weeden Maloney would serve in the city’s racially-segregated schools as a teacher, guidance counselor and principal.

Maloney would serve notable distinctions, such as being elected the first black president of the Virginia School Boards Association and the National School Boards Association Southern Region. According to the marker, Maloney also served as the first female rector of Norfolk State University. . . .

Recent National Education News
Harvard Study Highlights Business, Education 'Game Changer'
Forbes
September 28, 2015

A new study by Harvard academics shows how business helps itself by helping disadvantaged students.

The Harvard Business School report looks into a series of projects across the U.S. that have aimed to raise achievement among students from poor backgrounds.

And it concludes that business participation in education leads to significant gains in student outcomes, with a corresponding advantage to business through the ability and knowledge of school leavers.

The study looked at a raft of collective impact projects, which bring together community leaders, parent organizations, government, nonprofits and business. And it found they had the potential to transform education.. . .

Education Gap Between Rich and Poor Is Growing Wider

The New York Times
September 22, 2015

For all the progress in improving educational outcomes among African-American children, the achievement gaps between more affluent and less privileged children is wider than ever, notes Sean Reardon of the Center for Education Policy Analysis at Stanford. Racial disparities are still a stain on American society, but they are no longer the main divider. Today the biggest threat to the American dream is class.

Education is today more critical than ever. College has become virtually a precondition for upward mobility. Men with only a high school diploma earn about a fifth less than they did 35 years ago. The gap between the earnings of students with a college degree and those without one is bigger than ever.

And yet American higher education is increasingly the preserve of the elite. The sons and daughters of college-educated parents are more than twice as likely to go to college as the children of high school graduates and seven times as likely as those of high school dropouts.

Only 5 percent of Americans ages 25 to 34 whose parents didn’t finish high school have a college degree. By comparison, the average across 20 rich countries in an analysis by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is almost 20 percent.. . .

Improving education opportunities through hearing aid tax credits

The Hill
September 28, 2015

The United States has always placed a high premium on education. From the advent of free public schools dating to the colonial era, to land grant colleges in the 19th century and modern programs designed to encourage education today, America has always understood that education is the cornerstone of a vibrant and prosperous civil society.

However, no amount of incentivizing education can help those students who are unable to reach their academic potential because of hearing loss. Nearly 15-percent of school age children suffer some degree of hearing loss that adversely impacts, “the development of communication and behavioral skills that affect educational experience and relationships with other people,” according to research published in the Journal of The American Medical Association.

What we have a disconnect; tax policies to encourage education are essentially meaningless to families of students who cannot achieve academic success because of hearing loss. But there is a way to fix this inconsistency in policy through the Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act, which recognizes the need to help families and children suffering from hearing loss with a $500 tax credit for a hearing aid. . .

Google Virtual-Reality System Aims to Enliven Education 
The New York Times
September 28, 2015

As part of a class last year on "Romeo and Juliet," Jennie Choi, an English teacher at Mariano Azuela Elementary School in Chicago, took her sixth-grade students on a tour of Verona, the Italian city where Shakespeare's play transpires.

During the excursion, Ms. Choi asked her class to examine the variegated facade of a centuries-old building, known on tourist maps as "Juliet's House," where the family that may have been the inspiration for the fictional heroine once lived. She also encouraged her sixth graders to scrutinize the deteriorated tomb where they could imagine the Juliet character had died.


But the students did not have to leave their Chicago classroom to take in the play's Italian backdrop. Instead, as part of a pilot project for a new Google virtual field trip system for schools, Ms. Choi's students tried out virtual-reality viewers — composed of cardboard and a cellphone — while their teacher used an app to guide them through stereoscopic vistas of the Italian town. 

Is there a gender gap in Virginia education?
As with most things, it depends exactly how you ask the question.  But as leaders from across the world gather in New York this week under the banner of the Beijing +20 conference and many evaluate what progress has been made over the past 20 years, we thought it would be interesting to look at a comparison of SOL performance between males and females from the most recent year of data.

Before we jump into those numbers though, it's worth noting some of the context about why gender equality in education has a potential impact in broader terms.  Recent reports have noted that achieving equality in the workplace across the globe could result in an increase of 60% of GDP in India and $28 trillion in global GDP.  Certain sectors like technology and cybersecurity see persistent gaps in workforce participation in developed countries, sometimes creating shortages of needed workers.  A recent study even examined a gender gap in retirement savings, one partly caused by lower average pay for women (see earnings ratio chart below) and partly by longer female life-expectancy.  


But increasing, there has also been a concern, as technology changes the economy, that it may eventually be men who are left behind.  The Atlantic ran a story in August noting that advanced robotics will likely replace more male dominated fields (truck drivers) than female dominated fields.  "By contrast, women typically work in more chaotic, unstructured environments, where the ability to read people’s emotions and intentions are critical to success," the article notes. 

So what's the pattern in SOL performance in Virginia?  From mapping the average school system net pass rates (female minus male) on the five SOL subject areas, we get a picture that generally shows females outperforming males on the average of all five areas, a fact driven mainly by higher female scores in writing, reading and math.  There is general parity with regard to science and a slight pattern of males outperforming females in social studies.  Click here or on the map below to see each of the maps.    
Does this mean that any concerns about a gender gap that short-changes females will soon be a thing of the past?  Potentially not, since research has found that societal expectations about what fields women and men should pursue manifest most strongly in late high school (and these pass rate scores include younger grades). 

Below, in this week's poll snapshot we take a brief look at whether there is any gender gap in perspectives on SOL tests and their impact on school accountability and student performance.  


Also this week, we share a compilation of news stories about candidates running for General Assembly seats and their comments on education. 

Sincerely,
CEPI
Poll Snapshot - A Gender Gap on the Benefits of Testing?
In the past, we've reported the differences associated with the demographic categories of white/minority status, education level and household income (see the chart below.  We haven't highlighted gender, because on these general questions about the impact of testing and the SOL's on student achievement, there's no significant gap between men and women.  

However, when it comes to asking respondents to agree or disagree with the following statement, there was a siginificant gap:
  • The SOL tests are putting too much pressure on students.
While 57% of men agreed strongly (36%) or somewhat (21%) that there was too much pressure placed on students, among women the overall agreement was 74%, with a full 50% agreeing strongly and 24% agreeing somewhat.   

To read the full poll, visit our website.

Education and the 2015 Election

As we get closer to the 2015 General Assembly elections, once a month we're compiling excerpts of stories and op eds that report on and/or feature the voices of General Assembly candidates and that connect to their views on, or experience with, the education sector. CEPI does not endorse candidates and provides this compilation as a public service.

NEWS STORIES

Poll: Most voters not yet focusing on General Assembly contests

Richmond Times-Dispatch
September 25, 2015

With Election Day less than six weeks away, only four out of 10 Virginia voters are paying attention to the legislative elections that could determine control of the General Assembly, according to a Christopher Newport University survey.
While 90 percent of voters surveyed said they intend to vote, “only 41 percent said they are paying attention to the election, and 66 percent said they are not following news about the candidates,” said Quentin Kidd, director of the Wason Center at CNU.

As for the 2016 General Assembly session, respondents ranked public school performance as their top priority (34 percent), followed by making the economy less dependent on federal spending (18 percent), reducing gun violence (14 percent), higher education affordability (13 percent) and improving Virginia’s health care system (12 percent).

Albemarle prosecutor, General Assembly candidates meet at forum
The Daily Progress
September 9, 2015

Although two General Assembly candidates were no-shows, incumbent Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney Denise Lunsford, a Democrat, and Republican challenger Robert Tracci went head-to-head at a candidates’ forum sponsored by the Senior Statesmen of Virginia on Wednesday at the Senior Center.

For the General Assembly candidates, the event was a one-sided affair. Incumbent Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Spotsylvania, and incumbent Del. R. Steven Landes, R-Weyers Cave, did not show up.

Reeves’ Democratic challenger, Ned Gallaway — who currently chairs the Albemarle County School Board — said education, job creation and Medicaid expansion would be his top priorities. Gallaway also said the expansion could provide funding for crucial mental health services sorely lacking in the state.

“We need to get the political barrier blocking [expansion] out of the way,” he said.

Angela Lynn, who is running for Landes’ 25th District seat on the Democratic ticket, called her district “gerrymandered” and said redistricting, along with Medicaid expansion and protection of the environment, would be one of her top priorities.

Candidates talk economic growth for Amherst County
The News & Advance
September 22, 2015

While the House District 24 incumbent focused on his resume as evidence of future action, his Democratic challenger laid out her vision for economic growth at a forum Tuesday.  Del. Ben Cline, R-Rockbridge County, and Ellen Arthur, a Rockbridge County Democrat, attended a forum with nine other candidates for various Nov. 3 elections at Amherst County High School.

Cline said he fought alongside Del. Scott Garrett — who attended Tuesday’s forum — to keep Central Virginia Community College’s Amherst branch open. Garrett’s House District 23 borders the 24th and includes the southern tip of Amherst County and most of Lynchburg. Cline said the community college program is important to luring and maintaining businesses.

21st Senate trio offer contrasting views on taxes
The Roanoke Times
September 16, 2015

Incumbent Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke, said he agrees tax structures must be fair and noted he backed legislation to lower the food tax.

But the state can’t slash taxes without first considering the larger cost, he said.

“You need to cover your core services,” he said. “When the state cuts funding for public education, city council has to raise its taxes, right? When the state cuts funding for colleges and universities, tuition goes up.”

In addition to the tax structure, candidates were asked to weigh in with their ideas for bolstering the region’s economic growth.

Caldwell said that — in addition to offering strong schools, hospital systems and public safety — it will be crucial to expand Interstate 81 to three lanes “so that businesses and companies that move people and products will come here.”

Edwards said he felt the district was well-positioned for success with innovative assets like the research institute and Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center.

Watkins endorses Sturtevant as successor in key election for Senate control
Richmond Times-Dispatch
September 14, 2015

Watkins, a moderate Republican who sided with Democrats in key votes this year, said Monday that he is endorsing Sturtevant, a lawyer and member of the Richmond School Board, because of the high stakes in the political battle for control of the Senate.

19th District race: Suetterlein making himself known
The Roanoke Times
September 6, 2015

On education, one of the top three issues he hears about from voters, Suetterlein said Virginia needs to shift away from standardized testing and toward localized, skills-based evaluations.

While accountability is crucial, he said, localities need a greater voice in shaping the assessments used.

Schools need freedom to innovate rather than teaching to a standardized test, he said, noting his mother and sister are both public schoolteachers — one in Fairfax and the other in Washington County in western Virginia.

“Those are two very interesting perspectives and very different school divisions,” he said. “If we had more localized assessments — as opposed to all these standardized tests being given in a small window of time — that would be a good thing and would encourage more of a skills-based approach.”

Salem, he added, has been a leader on this front. The city high school just received a $50,000 state grant to lay groundwork for a personalized student learning initiative.

The state also needs to recognize when students make progress in their scores, even if they still fall short of testing benchmarks, he said, and likewise when a student technically passes but shows a marked decline in performance.

Suetterlein supports a proposal to amend the state constitution and make it easier to open charter schools in Virginia. His own children will attend Roanoke County Public Schools. 

19th District race: Hamlar embracing a challenge 
The Roanoke Times
September 6, 2015

“My family instilled in me that education is very important,” said Hamlar, who’s working on a doctorate in business administration from Walden University. “One thing I can vividly remember my uncle always saying is that education is one thing nobody can ever take from you. I take that to heart.”

On the stump, Hamlar talks about the importance of beefing up school funding and moving away from the focus on standardized testing.

His oldest daughter had trouble sleeping last year when it was time to take her third-grade Standards of Learning exams.

“There should not be that amount of pressure on a test for an 8-year-old,” Hamlar said. “That shouldn’t be how we do things. And it’s hindering creativity in the classroom. Kids are being taught to the test.”

The General Assembly’s recent moves to roll back testing — including eliminating two of the four tests required in third-grade — are steps in the right direction, he added, but more work remains to be done.

Just what those next steps should be is a question for which Hamlar didn’t have a clear answer this summer.

He said he’s meeting with educators, parents, business leaders and other stakeholders to brainstorm ideas. In August, the Virginia Education Association endorsed him.

“If everybody sits down and talks about it, I think we can come up with a solution that will be beneficial for the region,” he said.

On charter schools, a hot-button topic, Hamlar said he needed to study the issue more before reaching a decision.

His own family has a footing in both public and private schools. While his oldest attends public school, his middle child is in kindergarten at a private, faith-based school started by members of his wife’s family.

Hamlar, who has a total of three children ages 8 to 2, said his family is equally happy with both schools.