Author: Todd Truitt
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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…
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Senate Bill Grabs Political Third Rail of Diploma Exit Exams
by Todd Truitt Senator Stella Pekarsky, D-Fairfax County, is sponsoring a bill this legislative session that would require the Virginia Board of Education to develop and “implement alternative graduation pathways” that allow students to earn a Standard Diploma without passing the statewide Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments. Currently to graduate from high school in Virginia,…
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Youngkin (Tries to) Take the Money and Run
The federal tax-credit scholarship program isn’t open yet, but Virginia’s already in line. by Chad Aldeman Republican Glenn Youngkin will leave office as governor of Virginia later this month. To his credit, he spent a lot of his tenure pushing for higher standards for public education. He revised the state’s accountability system to bring more…
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Virginia’s New K-12 School Report Cards
by Todd Truitt In December 2025, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) issued new school report cards for the 2024-25 school year under the new school accountability system. The school report cards provide an overview of schools’ performance under the new system, as well as summarize such results into 1 of 4 summative ratings: Distinguished;…