Local Government, Civic Affairs and Education
State education officials say the latest student assessments show a “significant and persistent learning loss” in reading and math for students in grades three through eight. The loss is especially acute for minorities and special needs students. Officials attribute it mainly to time away from classrooms during the pandemic. Governor Youngkin says his administration will embark on an all-out effort to address the learning deficit. WFIR’s Evan Jones:
NEWS RELEASE: Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced ALL IN VA, a comprehensive plan to support Virginia’s students facing the continued detrimental impacts of COVID-19 learning loss, declining academic performance and absenteeism. Virginia’s Standard of Learning scores demonstrate that student achievement remains well below pre-pandemic levels. The Youngkin administration is taking further, aggressive action to ensure all Virginia students get the academic support they need to recover learning loss, boost their attendance and academic performance.
“The shuttering of our schools led to lasting learning loss for our children. Especially in grade 3 through 8, we must redouble our efforts,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “ALL IN VA focuses on the foundational elements of education, attendance, literacy and learning, and provides a playbook to school divisions to meet the needs of our students. The ALL IN VA plan fosters collaboration and partnership between school divisions, our Department of Education, community leaders and most importantly, students and their parents. I challenge all of us to work together with urgency to create a brighter future and deliver the education our students in the Commonwealth were robbed of for far too long.”
“The ALL IN VA plan is built on proven best practices in learning loss recovery, literacy education, and school attendance. We know what works, and Virginia’s students will benefit with high-intensity tutoring built into students’ day by school divisions investing this money in proven models that get results. Our students deserve nothing less,” said Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera.
“Grade 3 through 8 Virginia students are still struggling to recover the learning loss from the pandemic and are not performing as well as their pre-pandemic peers,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons. “The 2022-2023 SOL data demonstrates just how important school attendance is for students’ academic success. VDOE recommends school divisions allocate this $418 million in learning loss resources to proven programs that will achieve the greatest student impact–approximately 70% for high-dose tutoring, 20% for Virginia Literacy Act implementation, and 10% for chronic absenteeism response.”
The ALL IN VA plan is a three-pronged approach to accelerate the learning loss recovery by addressing:
- Attendance
- Literacy
- Learning
Click here to read Governor Youngkin’s ALL IN VA plan.
Click here to read Virginia’s 2022-2023 Standard of Learning scores.
Click here to view the ALL IN VA 2023 Annual Standards of Learning Assessment Rates Presentation.
Watch the ALL IN VA announcement here.
A brand new major at Roanoke College this year will have students studying more than the screen. WFIR’s Ian Price has more.
G Marrano photos
Chris’s Coffee & Custard goes mobile. The business hires young adults with special abilities and serves frozen treats and coffee out of their eatery at the 9th street Southeast Industrial Park. Thanks to donations from local organizations, the company was able to purchase a food truck that will be able to serve their products on the go. The renovated Chris’s Custard truck, was just revealed today and it’s first stop is Taco Fest September 9 at Elmwood Park. The Beaver Dam Farm Sunflower Festival in Buchanan next month follows on Special Needs Day September 14. Chris’s mom and co-owner is Beth Woodrum.
Photo: Sherman Lea Facebook
Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea Sr. gave his annual state of the city address at a breakfast sponsored by the Roanoke Regional Chamber this morning – where he again called Roanoke a 7-time All-America City – while acknowledging there are challenges to address, like affordable housing, gun violence, the opioid epidemic and the need to rebuild infrastructure. Lea also touched on greenway expansion, the local homeless population and economic development issues, among other topics.
G Marrano photos
Since 1986 Habitat for Humanity in Roanoke has built over 280 affordable homes for first-time owners who must pay the mortgage after contributing their own “sweat equity,” along with other volunteers. Now for the first time low-carbon homes utilizing insulating concrete forms to construct the walls is going up on 14th Street Southeast. Brian Clark is the construction director for Habitat-Roanoke; he says Habitat concrete wall houses aren’t necessarily lower cost than all stick-built houses – but long term those who move in will save on utilities and insurance costs. Nationwide since 2021 Habitat for Humanity has built almost 70 homes that feature concrete walls.
Thomas McCracken
CommUNITY Church pastor Thomas McCracken says his decision to drop an independent campaign for the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors seat in the Catawba district has to do with the “old guard” Republican party closing ranks around incumbent Martha Hooker. In June McCracken dropped his GOP primary bid for Hooker’s seat, then announced the independent campaign he is now ending. McCracken says some local Republicans were hesitant to support his independent run publicly; he also tells WFIR some opponents reported issues with his campaign signs to the Board of Elections – and less-than-flattering personal family photos were posted online by others.
As schools reopen across Virginia, one of the greatest challenges still facing them is trying to recover from the learning loss experienced during the COVID-related classroom closures. An area superintendent says one big help often begins right at home, as WFIR’s Evan Jones reports: