{"id":4610,"date":"2026-03-24T10:31:37","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T14:31:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.vassp.org\/?p=4610"},"modified":"2026-03-24T10:31:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T14:31:39","slug":"vassp-member-update-march-23-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.vassp.org\/?p=4610","title":{"rendered":"VASSP Member Update, March 23, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

State Articles of Interest <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SOLace offers free prep for VA SOL tests at all levels, created by Centreville High junior<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PWCS becomes first school district in the nation to have air bags on buses | <\/a>wusa9.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

VDOE hears feedback from Roanoke County educators during listening tour<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

School board adopts AI policy | The Farmville Herald<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/richmond.com\/news\/state-regional\/education\/article_9af7302d-0b5c-4148-b7f3-429d2c51bcd2.html\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

National Articles of Interest<\/strong>                          <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More middle and high schoolers are leaning on AI for homework | K-12 Dive<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judge orders Texas to open school choice program to Islamic schools | K-12 Dive<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Science of reading gets nod from House panel in literacy grants bill | K-12 Dive<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Private Schools and the NAEP Test<\/a>   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poverty, school size can hinder improvement odds, GAO reports | K-12 Dive<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Governors promote special education initiatives in annual addresses | K-12 Dive<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

DOE Updates<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

STEM Ecosystem Website Launched<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Article: 2026-10-126
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, Teachers
Contact: Anne Petersen, Director of STEM, anne.petersen@doe.virginia.gov<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>. 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ed. Department Updates<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Departments of Education and Treasury Announce Federal Student Assistance Partnership<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 19, the Departments of Education and the Treasury announced<\/a> 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\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s other functions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n