Articles of Interest
LCPS special education plan approved, understaffing concerns raised | Education | loudountimes.com
‘Deadliest Drug I’ve Ever Seen’: Alexandria Schools Teach Parents About Fentanyl Warning Signs
Virginia Beach ‘sexually explicit content’ policy for school libraries draws criticism
School board continues its discussion of cell phone policy – Gazette Journal
Why Henrico will likely opt for weapons detectors over metal detectors in schools
Fairfax County Public Schools paving the way in Virginia with free mental health services | WJLA
ACLU says removal of 14 books from Spotsylvania school libraries is ‘unconstitutional’
DOE Updates
K-12 Learning Recovery Grants: Tutor and Service Provider Recruitment
Tutors and educational service providers are encouraged to register as vendors in the K-12 Learning Recovery Grant program. Tutoring may be in-person, virtual or hybrid, and in one-on-one, small group or large-group settings. The $30 million program will provide $1,500 tutoring grants — in core content areas and foreign languages required to meet diploma requirements — to parents of school-age children. Children from homes with family incomes at 300% or less of the federal poverty level may qualify for $3,000 grants.
Canvas’s Training Services Portal Weekly Sessions
Educators can participate in training sessions each week via Canvas’s Training Services Portal. To find any of the sessions listed below, first make sure you are logged into your Canvas account. The upcoming hour-long sessions are appropriate for Division and School Leaders, Statewide LMS Admin, Instructors, and Support.
4/27 at 1:00 p.m.: Canvas for Special Education
4/28 at 2:30 p.m.: Course Communication Tools
5/1 at 1:00 p.m.: Outcomes and Rubrics for Instructors
5/2 at 2:30 p.m.: Pages and the Rich Content Editor
5/3 at 11:30 p.m.: Creating Assessments with New Quizzes
Content Teaching Academies
VDOE will sponsor Content Teaching Academies June 26-29, at James Madison University. The Academies are designed to enhance the outcomes of students with disabilities and promote inclusive practices. Priority will be given to school divisions and regions that have demonstrated limited participation in previous content teaching academies and to educators from schools in divisions that are working with the Office of Program Improvement and/or the Office of School Quality. For all public school participants, the VDOE will assume the cost of registration, meals, and double occupancy lodging on JMU’s campus. See Superintendent’s Memo 070-23 for details.
Ed. Department Updates
BUDGET HEARING
Last week, Secretary Cardona testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education on the President’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget request for the Department of Education (opening statement and video).
“My time in front of you today is about choices,” the Secretary noted. “The choice to invest in America’s children, or the choice to protect the status quo of under-achievement. The choice to come together on behalf of the students, parents, and educators who are looking to us to serve and Raise the Bar for education in this country, versus the choice to break down in partisanship or divisive culture wars.
“It’s best to think of this budget proposal by thinking of a child’s journey through education,” he continued. “In this scenario, a child starting her educational journey builds a strong foundation for learning right away — because this budget made it possible to expand high-quality preschool for more four-year-olds across America. Now, imagine when she gets to elementary school. If she is a student with disabilities, she benefits from the additional $2.7 billion in this budget to help include and support her. If she goes to a Title I school, she learns the fundamentals of reading, math, and other rigorous subjects she’ll need to succeed in life — because that school is able to tailor instruction and use data to provide one-on-one support, thanks to $2.2 billion in additional funding for Title I schools in this budget. Wherever she goes to school, she can also count on having a highly qualified teacher who has gained years of experience in helping students learn and grow — because we invested early to fully prepare, develop, and empower our educators. And, as she walks around her school, she feels welcomed and included, gaining the benefits of a strong, intentional focus on a safe, supportive school climate that helps her learn….
“As that student comes closer to adulthood, she has pathways to careers and skills to succeed in the world. We set her up to compete and succeed in a stronger economy, with well-paying jobs at the ready — because this budget delivered more funding for career and technical education, more funding to create career-connected high schools, and more investments in helping every student become multilingual. She also has a jump start on her path toward earning a college degree or credential — because we worked together to make postsecondary education inclusive and affordable. We increased the Pell Grant…. We supported our HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs. And we made free community college a reality nationwide.” After he testified, the Secretary issued a statement on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s debt limit proposal (Twitter thread), and the Department subsequently released a fact sheet and state-by-state information (Twitter thread).
