There’s a well-known paradox in the world of education research. Ask people about their feelings toward public schools in general, and you’re likely to hear that schools are failing. Ask people about their local schools, however, and most have good things to say. So well-entrenched is this pattern that the results of a recent poll […]
There’s nothing easy about teaching. And there’s nothing easy about selecting one above all others as the best of the best. Northern Virginia Magazine has done that work, however, and named Jennifer McCall of North Stafford High School as the 2023 Teacher of the Year. “Parents and students told us about so many outstanding educators, […]
Schools are under intense scrutiny these days, with people from the governor on down talking about the failure of traditional public education for all. But in Stafford County, the past week has brought a lot of news to celebrate. Last Friday the district released the following news: According to the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) […]
The drumbeat about declining mental health has been a steady one since the onset of the pandemic. This fact was driven home by the 2022 Rappahannock Area Community Health Assessment that listed “mental health” as the No. 1 most-important health need in our region. Our region is hardly alone. Mental health issues across Virginia are […]
A familiar cycle is about to kick-off again in Virginia. The final SOL scores are going to be released to the public soon (they were actually due in August). You know what’s going to happen. Public school critics will cherry-pick whatever numbers that favor them and use the information to further their argument that public […]
