State Articles of Interest
SOLace offers free prep for VA SOL tests at all levels, created by Centreville High junior
PWCS becomes first school district in the nation to have air bags on buses | wusa9.com
VDOE hears feedback from Roanoke County educators during listening tour
School board adopts AI policy | The Farmville Herald
National Articles of Interest
More middle and high schoolers are leaning on AI for homework | K-12 Dive
Judge orders Texas to open school choice program to Islamic schools | K-12 Dive
Science of reading gets nod from House panel in literacy grants bill | K-12 Dive
Private Schools and the NAEP Test
Poverty, school size can hinder improvement odds, GAO reports | K-12 Dive
Governors promote special education initiatives in annual addresses | K-12 Dive
DOE Updates
STEM Ecosystem Website Launched
Article: 2026-10-126
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, Teachers
Contact: Anne Petersen, Director of STEM, anne.petersen@doe.virginia.gov
The Virginia Department of Education, in collaboration with the Virginia STEM Education Advisory Board, is proud to announce the launch of the Virginia STEM Ecosystem Website. This centralized platform is designed to empower students, educators, and families by providing streamlined access to STEM programs, instructional resources, and professional development opportunities across the commonwealth.
To foster a robust statewide network, STEM organizations, institutes of higher education, and school divisions are invited to submit programs for inclusion in the site’s searchable database. The submission form can be accessed on the website linked above. This initiative directly aligns with the Virginia STEM network vision and advances 3E Readiness (Employment, Enlistment, and Enrollment) as outlined in the School Performance and Support Framework.
Ed. Department Updates
Departments of Education and Treasury Announce Federal Student Assistance Partnership
On March 19, the Departments of Education and the Treasury announced the Federal Student Assistance Partnership to enhance the administration of Federal student aid programs, mitigate the continuing fallout and cost to taxpayers from the Biden Administration’s mismanagement of the Federal student loan portfolio, and facilitate the return of defaulted borrowers to repayment. Under the new agreement, Treasury will assume operational responsibility for collecting on defaulted Federal student loan debt and provide operational support to ED’s efforts to return borrowers to repayment. In subsequent phases, Treasury will work to provide operational support over non-defaulted Federal student loan debt, while also seeking opportunities to provide operational support to Federal Student Aid’s other functions.
