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Youngkin’s Charter-Lab Schools Push in 2024
The Problem Two hundred thirty-three amendments : there are so many problems with the Governor’s amendments to the bipartisan budget that...

Cheryl Binkley
Apr 16, 20245 min read


Ironically, the VDOE Accountability Listening Tour Lacks Both Transparency and Accountability
Read other blogs about VDOE's Accountability Listening Sessions and the Public Input process.

Vanessa Hall
Apr 12, 20248 min read


Lawsuits, Another Far Right Tool To Defund Public Education
The National Merit Commended Certificate "Crisis" School Districts are Under Fire School districts across the country are under fire. The...

Vanessa Hall
Mar 28, 202423 min read


Fast Facts About Theatre Programs
Courtesy of Cappies NCA Why Schools Should have a full-time dedicated Theatre Arts teacher in every K-12 school Spring Productions are underway! Let me detail why a Theatre arts program is one of the most important elements in a school's repertoire of offerings. In the Theatre all are welcome and students learn to be accepting of the wide array of humanity and their beauty. It has always been and will remain a safe place for all our unique, commonplace, variedly able, a

Cheryl Binkley
Mar 21, 20242 min read


Fostering a Welcoming, Inclusive Education Environment in School
Fairfax County School Board Matters: March 7, 2024 First, I want to address the elephant in the room: I was unable to attend in-person...

Vanessa Hall
Mar 14, 20246 min read


A Big Win for Students at the Supreme Court
TJ and FCPS Win in Court after Three Years of Litigation Fairfax County and Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) are celebrating a...

Vanessa Hall
Mar 7, 20243 min read


Trans-Exclusionary Policies are Bullying Kids to Death
The following is a letter posted by 4 Public Education Board Member Robert Rigby to Loudoun County Public Schools in response to their...

Robert Rigby
Feb 21, 20244 min read


Black History, Our History
Black history is American history. Our schools should integrate Black, Asian, Hispanic, and queer history throughout our history books and curricula so that we don’t have to rely on single weeks or months throughout the year to highlight important events, contributions, and history associated with often overlooked Americans. But until that happens, we need to raise up cultural and historical contributions from all of our great Americans and American immigrants to this nation.

Vanessa Hall
Feb 15, 20243 min read


Virginia Colleges: Don't Close the Door on Dyslexics
A Call to Advocacy for SB21 and HB509 I am a parent of a dyslexic student. When it became clear in first grade that our daughter could not read, we had to pay for private testing to ensure that our daughter accessed dyslexia services in FCPS before she fell so far behind that she could never catch up or was so filled with self-doubt that she was convinced that she would never succeed. Due to the support of amazing FCPS teachers and staff, our daughter is reading close to grad

Vanessa Hall
Feb 1, 20243 min read


Fairfax's School Board Gets Right to Work with Great Ideas!
School Board Matters, January 11, 2024 meeting School Board meetings are ground zero for the culture wars. Our “School Board Matters”...

Vanessa Hall
Jan 17, 20244 min read


Uniting Virginia through Literacy
Choosing a Reading Curriculum that Works In 2022 the Virginia legislature passed The Virginia Literacy Act, often referred to as VLA. It...

Cheryl Binkley
Jan 11, 20243 min read


Frustrating Financial Aid: A Family Guide to the New FAFSA
Like many parents of high school seniors, my family has been knee deep in college applications since October. My son managed to meet all of the deadlines to request transcripts, request recommendations, and apply to colleges, but now we are in the next step: submitting financial aid forms. In fact, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid ( FAFSA ) was the first thing on my list for 2024…and then my pen stopped working, which I’m hoping isn’t an omen. Applying for merit-

Vanessa Hall
Jan 10, 20245 min read


Anniversary of an Expensive Manufactured Crisis
If you care about public education, then you have noticed that school districts across the country have been under fire for the last...

Vanessa Hall
Dec 20, 20232 min read


School Board Matters: Honoring Outgoing School Board Members
December 14, 2023 School Board meetings have become ground zero for the culture wars. Our “School Board Matters” blog will include...

Vanessa Hall
Dec 19, 20233 min read


Parents Feel Doubly Violated by a Privacy Breach
Like tens of thousands of parents, I received a letter this week indicating that FCPS inadvertently released my child’s private...

Vanessa Hall
Dec 14, 20234 min read


Governor Youngkin, Stop Fixing What’s Right
One of Governor Youngkin’s many promises to Virginia was to expand charter schools in Virginia, taking desperately needed funding from...

Holly Hazard
Dec 7, 20232 min read


A (Seemingly) Pleasant Surprise from Virginia's Department of Education
A Review of the Northern Virginia VDOE Accountability Listening Session I don’t know if any of you have attended any of the VDOE...

Vanessa Hall
Dec 7, 20233 min read


Underfunded Education: The Crisis We Can't Ignore
Preparing for the 2024 General Assembly: Public Education Priorities The verdict is in. Not only is Virginia seriously underfunding its...

Marianne Burke, PhD
Nov 28, 20232 min read


School Board Matters: Blue Skies and Smiles Shining So Bright
November 9, 2023 School Board meetings have become ground zero for the culture wars, so 4 Public Education is introducing a new blog...

Vanessa Hall
Nov 15, 20238 min read


Education Apocalypse
Imagine a world where the Moms for Liberty and like-minded individuals were elected to the school board, state legislature, and...

Vanessa Hall
Oct 27, 20237 min read
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Trump’s “Patriotic Education” Edict Causes Harm and Citizens Should Object
Discover how Virginia's resistance to Trump's "patriotic education" edict sets a precedent for the nation. Learn why citizens should object to Trump's harmful edict, which attempts to rewrite American history.


At the Statehouse: Crossover is Complete as General Assembly Season Nears the End
Explore how the Virginia General Assembly's 2026 crossover was a success for bills from both houses. As the General Assembly session draws to a close, education and budget decisions continue to be made by legislators and Governor Spanberger. Learn more now.


Will They or Won't They? Congress Unlikely to Approve Closure of Dept of Education
Explore why Congress is unlikely to approve the closure of the Department of Education despite pressure from the Trump Administration. Discover impacts on our students' opportunities and education as the Trump Administration continues to defund and destroy the Department of Education.
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