VASSP welcomes you back to the VASSP Member Update. We have added a new section for “National Articles of Interest”. These articles will help keep you up to date on things that are going on at the national level in education. We hope that you all have had a great summer and are prepared to welcome students for the new year in the coming weeks.
Articles of Interest
Bedford County Schools invest half a million in safety upgrades ahead of new academic year | WSET
Virginians to miss tax-free school shopping as budget impasse drags on – The Washington Post
Lab school proposals grow, as Board of Education approves first application
National Articles of Interest
New Jersey school district to pay $9.1M in bullying settlement | K-12 Dive
White House, Ed Dept announce federal effort to bolster K-12 cybersecurity
Schools’ online surveillance raises parental concerns over student learning, well-being | K-12 Dive
Equity in IDEA: Finding solutions to racial disproportionality in special ed | K-12 Dive
DOE Updates
Call for Nominations to Board of Education Advisory Committee
The Virginia Board of Education is seeking nominees for several vacancies on its advisory committees. A full list of vacancies is available on the Board’s Advisory Committee webpage. Some of the vacancies on advisory committees require specific categories of expertise, qualifications, or geographic representation. Self-nominations are accepted. Nominations may be made by completing the Board’s Nomination Form for Advisory Committees by August 11.
Ed. Department Updates
ELIMINATING EDUCATOR SHORTAGES
Also last week, the Departments of Education and Labor announced a series of new efforts to expand Registered Apprenticeships for educators and invest in teacher preparation programs. These efforts advance a key focus area of the Education Department’s Raise the Bar: Lead the World priorities to boldly improve learning conditions by eliminating educator shortages. They also build upon a joint letter sent by the Secretaries of Education and Labor last summer, which called on state education and workforce leaders to take action to address educator shortages (press release).
Among the announcements:
- National Guidelines for Apprenticeship Standards for Registered Apprenticeships for K-12 teachers, developed by the Pathways Alliance and approved by the Labor Department;
- more than $27 million from the Education Department to support educator preparation programs (under the Teacher Quality Partnerships [TQP] Program and the Supporting Effective Educator Development [SEED] Program);
- more than $65 million from the Labor Department to develop and scale Registered Apprenticeship programs in critical sectors across 45 states — with 35 states targeting education;
- a new industry intermediary to launch, promote, and expand Registered Apprenticeships for teachers; and
- an Education Department policy brief that highlights how states are taking strategic steps outlined by the Biden Administration to support the effective recruitment, preparation, and retention of teachers, including new data by state on the recovery of local education jobs, increases in teacher compensation, increased enrollment in educator preparation programs, and the expansion of Registered Apprenticeships for K-12 teachers.
The Administration has helped grow the number of states with Registered Apprenticeship programs for K-12 teachers from two to 21. The new national guidelines can guide states, school districts, and sponsors to align their apprenticeship programs to quality standards for teachers. They also provide a framework that partners may use to develop state-specific standards and provide for expedited development and approval of new apprenticeship programs.
