Historically, school board elections have received little attention from voters, but recently extremists have begun trying to take over public school boards. Now we realize the importance of electing quality school board members who prioritize the students and support public schools rather than furthering extreme agendas. Because extreme right-wing groups continue to foment culture wars and support extremist candidates, we must have a concrete plan to combat disinformation an

The Financial and Emotional Costs of anti-LGBTQ+ Rhetoric In the first two weeks of Pride month, I have been struck by increased hate, fear, and anger against the LGBTQ+ community, specifically against our schools. As a mom and active school volunteer, I find this concerning because I know how harmful it is to students, educators, and families. Not only are these wild accusations and misinformation scary, but they also make parents and guardians feel threatened for the safety

June is only two days away, so you might want to pull out the rainbow gear (and some sunscreen!) to attend local pride events, most of...

Science Fair is More Than a Competition Science Fair has inspired students around the world for over 100 years , from the tiniest...

While we are celebrating that our K-12 education funding priorities are funded for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, we must remember that,...

In collaboration with the Virginia Grassroots Coalition , 4 Public Education initiated a letter to Governor Youngkin about the upcoming...

Best Schools Update 2024 “Above all, I believe every child, no matter their ZIP code or their parents' jobs, deserves access to a quality education.” - Betsy DeVos 2016 “A child's course in life should be determined not by the zip code she's born in” - Barack Obama “Literally nothing is evenly distributed by zip code, except having a zip code.” - Elon Musk Part I: Rankings v. Zip Codes “All children should have a great education regardless of zip code,” is perhaps one of the

A Strong Student Production of Kinky Boots While several hate groups descended on the FCPS high school last weekend, the students, teachers, and families of West Potomac High School chose to work together, put on an excellent show, and have a great time. Like their shirts said, “You can change the world when you change your mind.” The administrators, parents, students, and educators who put their hearts, souls, and bodies on the line for this production should be commended.

You can’t just ignore problems away. Author's forward: I wrote this piece on a snowy day in January. Dr. Claudine Gay had just resigned, and I feared that more officials (both at the college and local levels) were next. While there are copious articles about how states and entities actively dismantling DEI programs, I wasn’t finding much on why it’s important in itself... until recently. WHY are we letting billionaires frame our discourse? They have benefitted from legacy a

Thursday, April 24th, was a beautiful day for a moving experience of shared trauma, survival, triumph, and advocacy. Many thanks to Lisa Sales of Virginia National Organization for Women (Virginia NOW) who organized a press conference in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month in front of the Federal Courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia where she gathered local experts, survivors, and legislators to advocate for strengthening laws, culture change, and better enforcement mechani

Give the Boot(s) to critics and let the show go on! Thousands of Fairfax residents are looking forward to seeing an amazing student musical at West Potomac High School (buy tickets here) about allyship and finding common ground with people who have different ideas and come from wildly different backgrounds. Meanwhile, a teeny-tiny group of parents are freaking out that Kinky Boots is somehow deviant or “sexual.” I don’t want to give their complaints air because they are so no

Glenn Youngkin and Secretary Aimee Guidera’s constant narrative since taking office is that Virginia public schools are failing: In spite of consistent real time proofs to the contrary. Virginia public schools are among the best in the nation, and in some cases the world. Even with two years of VDOE repeating the narrative of failure, VA is ranked 10th overall and 7th in student success in their own dataset. The Accountability and Accreditation Proposed Regulations, which the

The National Merit Commended Certificate "Crisis" School Districts are Under Fire School districts across the country are under fire. The assaults on our school systems are not just being fought just at school board meetings and by FOIA, but they are also being conducted through politically motivated lawsuits and investigations, many of which lack merit. Here in Northern Virginia, we are in the eye of the storm with near constant politically-motivated news coverage, lawsuits

Improving support for K-12 public education to help students thrive is a widely shared goal. Students across Virginia deserve funding that unlocks their potential. Unfortunately, the governor’s proposed budget for the upcoming two years, which was unveiled in December 2023, will not provide enough to keep up with the rising cost of current programs for our students, let alone the significant need for additional state funding to bring the state closer to paying its fair share

This week is Public Schools Week, so it’s a great time to share some of the things that make public schools important and wonderful. Public schools are and have always been a microcosm of our communities. They are where poor and rich students sit side by side, eat together, ride the same buses and have access to the same teachers, books, and media of any given community. From public schools, we develop our plumbers and our doctors, our electricians and our car designers, our

Join Fuse4Fauquier this February 13th, 2024 at 6:00pm to hear from Katie Lang and Darcy Kreutz, founding members of FUSE, on how grassroots advocacy has taken hold in Fauquier Public Schools. FUSE is a group that believes public schools are essential to the community and our democracy, and that educators and parents should work together as partners who treat each other with mutual respect. FUSE believes that students learn best when they feel safe and supported! Katie Lang i

The pace has picked up in Virginia’s General Assembly as we approach some key deadlines. ‘Crossover’ is February 13, the deadline by which legislators must complete work on bills originating in the House of Delegates or the Senate. Any bills that have not passed their respective chamber will be left behind for this legislative session. In addition, deadlines loom for each chamber to complete their budget amendment bills. The House Appropriations and the Senate Finance an

School Board Matters, January 25, 2024 meeting School Board meetings are ground zero for the culture wars. Our “School Board Matters” blog will include analysis and links to video, agenda, and votes that affect you and your student(s), including links to primary source documents to support involvement in your student’s experience and education. We hope this will provide better access to and understanding of the Fairfax County School Board, including their powers and duties,

Choosing a Reading Curriculum that Works In 2022 the Virginia legislature passed The Virginia Literacy Act, often referred to as VLA. It was sponsored by such unlikely co-sponsors as lead Senate Democrats Louise Lucas from Portsmouth and Jennifer McClellan, and Siobhan Dunnavant, Republican firebrand from Henrico. The House sponsors were Carrie Coyner, a Republican from Chesterfield, and Kaye Kory, a Fairfax County Democrat. What could have brought legislators from such varie

2023 was a busy year for 4 Public Education. In addition to our presence at school board meetings, key education events, and a robust...