The Board of 4 Public Education is disappointed with the proposed budget released by Governor Youngkin on December 20, 2023. It seems...

Preparing for the 2024 General Assembly: Public Education Priorities The verdict is in. Not only is Virginia seriously underfunding its public schools, but the pipeline for K-12 teachers has proven to be inadequate. A recent nonpartisan study of school funding has confirmed just how badly Virginia public schools are underfunded, and a review of the K-12 teacher pipeline revealed the reasons why we have a shortage of qualified teachers in Virginia. Now that we know the facts,

November 9, 2023 School Board meetings have become ground zero for the culture wars, so 4 Public Education is introducing a new blog called “School Board Matters” for 2023-24. It 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 Boa

Pundits cast Virginia’s Tuesday general elections as a referendum on abortion rights. It was more than that. Further down the ballot those votes also sent a strong message to those trying to disrupt public education: listen to parents. Parents who came out to vote in Fairfax, Loudoun and even Spotsylvania, the epicenters of vitriol and fantasy, voted with a resounding “no” to candidates who focused on anti-CRT, book bans and transphobia. Parents overwhelmingly voted for moder

We need to allow people to talk and we need to be open-minded. Our differences don’t need to divide us–they can bring us together. - Dr....

School Board meetings have become ground zero for the culture wars, so 4 Public Education is introducing a new blog covering Fairfax County School Board meetings called “School Board Matters” for 2023-24. It will include analysis and links to video, agenda, and votes that affect you and your student(s). Where possible, we will provide links and primary source documents to support involvement in your student’s experience and education at FCPS. We hope this will provide a bette

Censorship, book banning, gun violence, anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, mental health challenges, charter schools, vouchers, tax credits and dark...

On August 15, 2023, FCPS Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid made an official statement after community members expressed concern about...

Although it was nowhere on the Virginia Board of Education agenda, nearly all public input today, July 27, 2023, was about Youngkin's so-called “Model Policies on Ensuring Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students.” Although it is hard to tell how many, but a number of the speakers who supported Youngkin's policies are part of a dark money network that have been attacking public education and the LGBTQIA+ community for years. A number of those in the room found their sta

Last week, Glenn Youngkin’s Department of Education released their so-called “Model Policies on Ensuring Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students” which does everything but respect the privacy and dignity of Virginia’s students and families. Some have renamed the policies the “Don’t Be Trans” policies, alluding to the fact that the Youngkin “model” policies arrive in the wake of hundreds of bills and policies across the nation targeting LGBTQIA students. To add insult t

Hi, My name is Emily Ocasio and the last time I was speaking here it was the 2nd annual women’s summit and I was just 14. You may...

It is hard to describe how inspired we felt after last weekend's 2023 Network NOVA Women's Summit after: Rubbing elbows with those who...

Mark your calendars for July 22nd—and be there! As we know, learning doesn’t stop with the end of a semester, or the end of a degree. We...

Meg, an eighth grader, has struggled with suicide. After seeking help, they bravely share their experience to the Fairfax County School Board on May 25, 2023, in order to help parents and other adults know how to support their own children and students in Fairfax County. This speech, research, and consultations with mental health experts are part of their Silver Award project for Girl Scouts. Please note that this speech contains sensitive content. “Don’t judge a situation y

On the anniversary of the Uvalde mass shooting that took the lives of nineteen Robb elementary students and two teachers, we find ourselves in the same place with no new solutions despite hundreds of mass shootings at schools, colleges, and grocery stores since then. No other country in the world experiences the level of mass shootings that the United States has. Gun violence is the leading cause of death for young people age 10-34. A surge of mass shootings in 2023 has traum

4 Public Education (4PE) announces the launch of their first major fundraising campaign, Summer Sendoff Campaign. While the end of this...

Some teachers will get gift cards, or mugs or flowers. Some will get a child’s smile or no notice at all. What would really say teachers are appreciated? A salary that enables them to send their own child to college A workload that leaves weekends and evenings for family, friends, or personal time. A thank you when they give a student the strategy that helps them to pass the big test. A call to their principal or the superintendent to say s/he supported my child through a r

Finally! On April 20, 2023 the revised Virginia History and Social Studies Standards of Learning (History SOL) was approved by the...

By the time you read this blog, public input will be closed for the Virginia History and Social Studies Standards of Learning (History SOLs). These public input sessions were required after the Virginia Board of Education (VBOE) decided in February to proceed with the January 2023 proposed revision of the History SOLs (a.k.a., the January version), in spite of overwhelming opposition to that revised version, and overwhelming support for the August 2022 proposed revision of th

Redacte este correo electrónico en medio de varias tragedias estudiantiles que afectaron a las Escuelas Públicas de Arlington hace unas semanas. 4PE me obligó a mejorarlo ampliando mis pensamientos y citando recursos. Por favor, siéntase libre de usar el lenguaje de este en su propia defensa. -A.C. De: Anjy Cramer Para: Superintendente Francisco Durán, Mary Kadera, Reid Goldstein, Cristina DiazTorres, David Priddy, Bethany ZecherSutton Cc: "school.board", Engage Asunto: SRO e