Virginia

News, analysis, and opinion about K-12 education in Virginia
Students attend Bow Memorial School in Bow, N.H. on Oct. 29, 2025. Bow Memorial School is a middle school that has developed a systematic approach to addressing foundational reading gaps in middle school students.
Though states have put an emphasis on reading intervention, most don't specify how to help students beyond grade 3. Older students may need more support on vocabulary development, or understanding how word parts convey meaning. Middle school students learn about suffixes at Bow Memorial School in Bow, N.H. on Oct. 29, 2025. The school has developed a systematic approach to addressing foundational reading gaps in grades 5-8.
Sophie Park for Education Week
States State Reading Laws Focus on K-3. What About Older Students Who Struggle?
Should lawmakers push reading legislation to address the needs of students beyond elementary grades?
Evie Blad, November 24, 2025
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8 min read
Vector illustration of a traffic light with the go green letters "AI" lit up.
iStock/Getty
Artificial Intelligence ‘Isn’t That Cheating?’ Why Some Students Resist Using AI for Schoolwork
A Virginia district strives to teach students that not all AI use amounts to 'cheating.'
Alyson Klein, November 18, 2025
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1 min read
Democrat Jay Jones speaks on stage at an election night watch party for Democrat Abigail Spanberger after Jones was declared the winner of the Virginia attorney general's race Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Richmond, Va.
Democrat Jay Jones speaks on stage after he was declared the winner of the Virginia attorney general's race Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Richmond, Va. As attorney general, Jones could join multistate coalitions of Democratic state attorneys general suing the Trump administration over its education policies.
AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough
States 4 Education-Related Takeaways From This Week's Elections
How results from Tuesday could affect K-12 schools, and the trajectory of Trump's education policies.
Brooke Schultz, November 5, 2025
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5 min read
Students in Mary Rodgers' 12th grade honors English class use AI to help craft an engaging thesis statement for a college admissions essay on Sept. 23, 2025, at Louisa County High School in Mineral, Va.
Students in Mary Rodgers' 12th grade honors English class use AI to help craft an engaging thesis statement for a college admissions essay on Sept. 23, 2025, at Louisa County High School in Mineral, Va. Her school district is trying to get ahead of the curve on training teachers how to use AI for instruction.
Kirsten Luce for Education Week
Artificial Intelligence From Our Research Center 'Look How Fast This Is Exploding': Inside One District's Approach to AI Training
A Virginia school system is trying to help teachers understand the power and limitations of AI tools.
Alyson Klein, October 20, 2025
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11 min read
Stonewall Jackson High School in Shenandoah County.
The Shenandoah County, Va. school board voted in May 2024 to rename Mountain View High School as Stonewall Jackson High School and Honey Run Elementary as Ashby Lee Elementary four years after the names had been removed. Now, a judge has found the decision to rename the high school violated students' free speech rights.
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Law & Courts School's Confederate Name Violates Students' Free Speech, Judge Says
The district was the first to reverse course and bring back Confederate names for its schools. The litigation is ongoing.
Brooke Schultz, September 10, 2025
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3 min read
Vector illustration of a man in a suit with flashlight looking into hole in the shape of a dollar sign.
DigitalVision Vectors
Law & Courts Schools Sue Trump, But It's Getting Harder for Them to Recoup Money
Judges have recently ruled against districts as they challenge Ed. Dept. funding cuts and threats in court.
Brooke Schultz, September 10, 2025
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7 min read
A sign for a newly-constructed gender neutral bathroom is seen at Shawnee Mission East High School on June 16, 2023, in Prairie Village, Kan.
A sign for a newly-constructed gender neutral bathroom is seen at Shawnee Mission East High School on June 16, 2023, in Prairie Village, Kan. The Trump administration's finding that a northern Virginia school district violated Title IX by allowing students to use restrooms consistent with their gender identity is the subject of a new lawsuit.
Charlie Riedel/AP
Law & Courts School Board Sues Trump Admin. to Defend Transgender Student Policy
The lawsuit challenges the Ed. Dept.'s finding that the district violated Title IX.
Brooke Schultz, August 29, 2025
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3 min read
A newly-constructed gender neutral bathroom is seen at Shawnee Mission East High School, Friday, June 16, 2023, in Prairie Village, Kan.
A newly-constructed gender-neutral bathroom is seen at Shawnee Mission East High School, Friday, June 16, 2023, in Prairie Village, Kan. The Shawnee Mission school district is one of four in Kansas that the Trump administration has started investigating at the urging of the state's Republican attorney general, Kris Kobach.
Charlie Riedel/AP
States Some State Leaders Cheer as Trump's Ed. Dept. Investigates Their Schools
The use of the office for civil rights for political purposes has been dialed up in the second Trump administration, experts say.
Brooke Schultz, August 25, 2025
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6 min read
A commuter walks past the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Eduction, which were ordered closed for the day for what officials described as security reasons amid large-scale layoffs, Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Washington.
A commuter walks past the Washington headquarters of the U.S. Department of Education on March 12, 2025. The department has imposed financial restrictions on five Virginia school districts for policies allowing transgender students to use bathrooms consistent with their gender identity.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Federal Ed. Dept. Imposes Funding Restrictions for 5 Districts Over Transgender Policies
The districts will have to jump through extra hoops to claim their federal funds.
Brooke Schultz, August 19, 2025
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6 min read
Elizabeth Alonzo, pictured here working with 2nd grade student Maria Gonzalez de Leon at West Elementary in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022, is a bilingual aid at the school. Other students at the table are from left, Herlina Hernandez Guidel, Xavier Hooker, and Jaciel Felipe Matias.
Bilingual aide Elizabeth Alonzo works with 2nd grader Maria Gonzalez de Leon, along with classmates, from left, Herlina Hernandez Guidel, Xavier Hooker, and Jaciel Felipe Matias, at West Elementary School in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022. Supplemental staff such as aides and tutors can be funded through Title III, but those funds are currently frozen, leaving hiring decisions in limbo.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English Learners Delayed Title III Funds Leave Districts' English-Learner Expenses in Limbo
The $890 million Title III program is among the billions the Trump administration is currently withholding from schools.
Ileana Najarro, July 16, 2025
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4 min read
Aarnavi Gupta, 8, and her father, Chanchal, review a coding project about a family trip to the beach at “Creative Coding: A Morning of Making” as part of a Remake Learning Days program held at South Fayette Intermediate School on May 23, 2022 in McDonald, Pa.
Aarnavi Gupta, 8, and her father, Chanchal, review a coding project about a family trip to the beach at South Fayette Intermediate School on May 23, 2022 in McDonald, Pa. Providing opportunities for parents and students to learn together can help increase their engagement with the school; some districts are featuring tech tools in these kinds of activities.
Jeff Swensen for Education Week
Families & the Community How One District Uses Tech Nights to Bring Families Into Learning
A technology resource teacher provides tips for creating events that parents will actually attend.
Lauraine Langreo, July 1, 2025
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2 min read
072523 parent involvement fs stanford 1209442706
sturi / E+
Families & the Community Q&A This Educator Shows Why Family Trust Is Key to School Attendance
Overhauling family engagement helped Richmond, Va. public schools helped boost attendance. Here's how.
Sarah D. Sparks, April 28, 2025
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5 min read
Grading and assessment SR
Robert Neubecker for Education Week
Assessment Why Some Schools Are Ditching Class Rank and Weighted GPAs
Educators wonder whether it is time to revisit class rank and weighted GPAs.
Alyson Klein, April 14, 2025
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8 min read
Surreal illustation of intersecting arrows and stairs.
Eoneren / E+
Recruitment & Retention Will Fired Federal Workers Consider Teaching? Some Schools May Soon Find Out
Thousands of federal employees face unemployment. Some states and districts see an opportunity to recruit skilled workers to the classroom.
Elizabeth Heubeck, April 3, 2025
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6 min read
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