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21st Century Community Learning Center Grants Awarded to Increase Enrichment Across the Commonwealth |
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 The Virginia Department of Education is awarding 51 grants to fund 21st Century Community Learning Centers in communities across the commonwealth. The grants range from $50,000 to $200,000 and will allow school divisions, faith-based organizations and community groups to provide students with tutoring and enrichment activities that complement regular academic programs.
Community learning centers operate before and after school, during school breaks, Saturdays, and during summer vacation. The centers also provide educational services for families of participating children. Applicants for the grants were encouraged to consult with parents, community groups, businesses, arts and cultural organizations, and other youth development agencies to develop their applications and programs.
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State Superintendent Announces Further Expansion of Virtual Virginia |
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 Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane recently announced that every teacher in the commonwealth’s public schools will be able to host virtual classes on the Virginia Department of Education’s Virtual Virginia online learning system throughout the 2020-2021 school year. The expanded access to Virtual Virginia is available at no cost to school divisions through $3.5 million in support from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act.
“This expansion provides additional options for school divisions that are reopening with limitations on in-person instruction and for school divisions that may have to revert to distance learning during the year because of a COVID-19 outbreak,” Lane said. "On behalf of our schools, I thank Governor Ralph Northam for his leadership in designating these CARES Act funds for Virtual Virginia so our students can continue to learn during the challenging school year ahead."
The expansion of Virtual Virginia also includes the creation of digital content for grades K-8. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the online learning system focused exclusively on providing high school credit-bearing courses in mathematics, English, science, history and world languages.
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New Map Gives Snapshot of School Reopening Plans Across the State |
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The Virginia Department of Education has created an interactive map that illustrates how the Commonwealth's 132 school divisions are reopening in August and September. The map is updated as VDOE learns of decisions by local school boards to revisit reopening plans approved earlier in the summer.
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State Superintendent Talks Optimism and Resilience for 2020-2021 School Year |
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State Superintendent James Lane talks optimism and resilience for the 2020-2021 school year in a recent interview with WVEC ABC13 in Hampton Roads.
"Yes, we may have to see you on the screen, and yes you may have to see your friends on the screen, but we know how much you've longed to see your teachers and friends again," Lane said. He added it won't be the 'old' normal many hoped for, but that doesn't mean it won't be a productive year. "Our teachers, every time we have asked them, have truly risen to the occasion because our teachers, in their hearts, truly care about children."
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JLARC Conducts K-12 Special Education Study and Parent Survey |
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 The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), the non-partisan research and oversight agency of the Virginia state legislature, is conducting a study of Virginia’s K-12 special education services through December 2020. In addition to other topics, the study team is reviewing Virginia’s special education identification and eligibility determination processes, inclusion of students with disabilities in academic and extracurricular experiences, individualized education program (IEP) development and implementation, and the state’s special education dispute resolution services, such as due process hearings and state complaint services.
As part of this research, the JLARC researchers are seeking input from many different stakeholders, including parents of K-12 students with disabilities, special education teachers, representatives of local special education advisory committees, division-level special education administrators, state-level special education administrators, and special education staff in other states, and national experts.
To ensure that our researchers are able to obtain input from parents of K-12 students with disabilities across the state—who are key stakeholders for the study—we have developed an online survey. The survey is designed for parents, foster parents, and legal guardians of students who have received K-12 special education services at any time over the past three years.
The survey will be available through Wednesday, September 9, 2020. To complete the survey, please use the following link:
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Webinar Series for Families of English Learners: Supporting School at Home for English Learners |
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The Virginia Department of Education's English Learner Instruction Program is offering a new series of webinars geared to support families as they prepare for the upcoming school year, specifically supporting learning at home. The links below are for the respective Zoom sessions:
*No registration is required; families join live.
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Resources for Phased Reopening of Virginia's Public Schools |
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The phased reopening of K-12 schools gradually permits in-person instruction to resume while prioritizing the health and safety of students and staff. In order to minimize the disparate impacts closures have had on students, this approach prioritizes the needs of students who have been most impacted by school building closures, and for whom in-person instruction is most beneficial:
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