Author: Todd Truitt
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Spanberger Admin Proposes Extending Virginia’s Lowest-in-Nation English and Math State Standards for 2 More Years
After years of delays, the proposed additional delay sets up a likely strong push for another delay in 2 years by powerful lobbying groups for those who work in the K-12 system…at the expense of Virginia students and parents As a supporter of Governor Abigail Spanberger, I’ve been impressed by much of the new administration’s…
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A Q&A on the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit
by Josh Cowen Publisher’s Note by Todd Truitt As Virginians await Governor Abigail Spanberger’s decision regarding continued participation in the new federal scholarship tax credit program—originally opted into by former Governor Glenn Youngkin in early 2026—Josh Cowen’s Q&A below offers an overview of how the program functions. Cowen, a longtime critic of traditional private school…
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Thankful for Virginia’s SOL Exams
Transparency and Accountability Where Local Systems Fell Short by Todd Truitt My guest commentary this week in the Richmond Times-Dispatch expresses thankfulness for Virginia’s Standards of Learning (SOL) tests. Before statewide testing, local assessments often masked poor performance and hid achievement gaps from parents and policymakers. The SOLs brought essential transparency and continue to keep…
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A Rising Democratic Star Disappoints Teachers’ Unions in Virginia
by Kevin Mahnken, The 74 Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger vetoed an expansion of collective bargaining rights last week. Her allies in the labor movement weren’t pleased. Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s rejection of a new law expanding collective bargaining rights for teachers has led to a division in the state’s Democratic coalition. It also generated discontent…
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Virginia’s Decision on Federal School Choice Tax Credit Program Looms
Two Democratic Governors Join Federal School Choice Tax Credit Program While Virginia’s State Program Faces Sunset by Todd Truitt Two Democratic governors have now chosen to participate in a new federal school choice tax-credit scholarship program. New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced this week that her state will opt in, following Colorado Governor Jared Polis.…
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Accountability Is the Broccoli of Education Reform. States Must Eat More of It.
by Jeb Bush, The 74 Publisher’s note by Todd Truitt Virginia’s recent overhaul of its school accountability system and upcoming overhaul of its assessment system offers a timely case study for the argument advanced in Jeb Bush’s OpEd below. His arguments on the importance of accountability and assessment largely mirror those made by the leading educational…
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Spanberger Signs Tighter School Cellphone Ban Into Law
by Todd Truitt Virginia’s move toward cellphone-free schools has now become a bipartisan through-line across two administrations. Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger yesterday signed Senator Stella Pekarsky’s (D-Fairfax County) follow-up school cell phone legislation, which had unanimously passed the Senate and overwhelmingly passed the House of Delegates. The law tightens the existing ban by replacing the…
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Youngkin-led VDOE Backed Limits on Undocumented Students’ Program Access
Trump pressured states to limit undocumented high school students’ access to career education programs By Matt Barnum and Lily Altavena, Chalkbeat This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters At least three states have taken steps to restrict undocumented high school students’ access to dual enrollment and career-technical education programs, according…
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Bipartisan Praise Greets New Superintendent at Board of Ed
by Todd Truitt The Virginia Board of Education convened this week for its first meeting under the new administration of Governor Abigail Spanberger. The meeting represented a milestone for State Superintendent Jenna Conway, who presided over the Board for the first time in her new role. Rather than a reset, her first Board meeting as…
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Is it time for Virginia to cut back on studies and commissions? Lawmakers are weighing it.
Virginia lawmakers consider limiting state studies and commissions following similar actions in other states to streamline government, reduce bureaucracy, centralize oversight and cut regulatory barriers. by Nathaniel Cline The Virginia government is sponsoring around 200 interim studies and commissions created through various actions by the state legislature and governor’s office, and that number is expected to grow…
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Virginia School Officials Should Not Be Their Own Regulators
by Todd Truitt As Virginia’s new Democratic Governor, Abigail Spanberger will soon shape the direction of public education statewide through five appointments to the Virginia Board of Education. Based on her longstanding focus on transparency and eliminating conflicts of interest, her administration can chart a different course with respect to a recent Virginia practice. The…
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Excluding Social Studies from Accountability to Preserve Inquiry Is Mistaken
America’s Teachers Are “Drunk” on Inquiry-Based Learning: Why Virginia Should Include Social Studies in its Accountability Standards by Jaime Osborne I attended the recent National Council of the Social Studies (NCSS) annual conference in Washington, D.C., an event that draws thousands of educators from across the country. Unsurprisingly, inquiry-based learning dominated the agenda. Even sessions…
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Senate Looks to Tighten School Cell Phone Ban
by Todd Truitt A Virginia Senate bill sponsored by Senator Stella Pekarsky, D-Fairfax County, would tighten the state’s school student cellphone ban law by replacing the word “restrict” with “prohibit,” a change supporters say is necessary after local school divisions — particularly Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) — interpreted the current statute more loosely than…
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After Last Year’s Overhaul, Va. Lawmakers Consider Tweaking K-12 Assessment Testing
Bills would address students’ final grade, administration of tests and retakes by Nathaniel Cline Less than a year after it was enacted, lawmakers will revisit a proposal that brought major changes to Virginia’s K-12 public school testing system, with the main debate centering on whether to keep or repeal a provision passed last year that…
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Education Tax Credits In Virginia – A Win Win On the Politics?
You know who likes optionality? That’s right, politicians do. by Andrew Rotherham Let’s start with the high note. I came of age in the Mary Sue Terry and Douglas Wilder era of Virginia politics. Robert Frye, the first Black school board chair in Fairfax County, lived a few houses down from me. That first might…