Commentary: What’s the state of school reform in the Fredericksburg region? | Columnists

shift from summer season to back-to-school mode, it’s value stepping again and seeing the place we’re on the most recent effort to reform Virginia’s faculties.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s and Schooling Secretary Aimee Guidera’s promise to “repair” our public academic system, which they’ve routinely criticized since January, rests on well-worn approaches. The solutions they’ve provided are little greater than a rehashing of each standards-based options (assume, Requirements of Studying and high-stakes testing) and school-choice options (assume, constitution faculties), the dominant reform fashions employed nationwide over the previous twenty years.

Although each approaches can level to some measured success tales, neither has considerably moved the needle on points like closing the tutorial achievement hole between whites and minorities, and making certain college students are extra prepared for school and/or work after they graduate highschool.

There’s little cause, subsequently, to suspect that Youngkin’s and Guidera’s persevering with to push these approaches will produce higher outcomes.

Each leaders, nonetheless, have added a brand new dimension to high school reform—aggressively injecting the tradition wars and the parental rights motion into the dialogue.

Neither difficulty is about enhancing training; slightly, they’re deeply private, oftentimes cynical, and deeply emotional arguments over who controls a scholar’s academic and ethical path.

Regionally, we’ve seen the destruction these battles can inflict. The poster youngster for dysfunction, after all, is the Spotsylvania County College system. From threatening to ban books, to outcries over “essential race idea” and gender points, the district is a scorching mess in the intervening time. Barring some fast and important modifications, the county’s faculties are in for tough waters this August when college students return.

Orange County and Stafford County faculties have additionally taken stands on essential race idea, however up to now we’ve not seen the type of all-consuming hysteria that has engulfed Spotsylvania.

In the meantime, different districts are investing extra closely of their public faculties. In Fredericksburg, a brand new center college has been authorised, and in King George the county has considerably upped the amount of cash it’s placing into its system, following years of underfunding.

That Youngkin’s tradition wars and fogeys’ rights points are burning inconsistently throughout the college districts in our area and within the commonwealth is essentially the most fascinating story nobody is speaking about.

The best way to clarify it? I believe the reply may be discovered, partially, in our range.

The frequent characterization that America is cut up between two realities—one blue, one crimson; one pro-abortion, one antiabortion; one city, one rural—glosses over the large vary of concepts and folks within the nation.

The larger Fredericksburg area is a microcosm of that range. From Stafford’s rising high-tech industrial base to Caroline’s rural countryside; from agricultural King George to commuter-oriented Spotsylvania; and from protection heavy Dahlgren to town-and-gown Fredericksburg, we’re a area that defies easy categorization.

And the best way we assault our issues displays that range. The obsessive habits that has engulfed mother and father in Spotsylvania Faculties could discover some supporters in Fredericksburg. However that obsession pales in contrast with the area points and excessive ranges of poverty the town’s faculties face.

Screaming about mother and father’ rights does nothing to assist King George retain the lecturers it must preserve its faculties open and guarantee its college students get the training they deserve. Discovering the cash to correctly fund the colleges will.

Rage, we’re studying, is proscribed within the variety of Virginia’s residents it will possibly attain.

One other rationalization lies in our paperwork.

Youngkin has the posh to gentle fires, then journey across the nation to check his message for a doable run at nationwide workplace in a couple of years. Our paperwork, nonetheless, is squarely centered on making certain that our governmental our bodies do what they’re obligated, each legally and morally, to do.

Faculties should function a sure variety of days. Classroom sizes have to be stored under sure ranges. Curricular benchmarks have to be met. And diplomas have to be awarded.

Sooner or later, that actuality will tamp down even essentially the most enflamed particular person.

The 2021 college yr was an enormously attempting one. And what’s turning into more and more clear is that Youngkin’s stoking concern and paranoia did nothing to enhance training within the state.

It’s additionally clear that these districts sensible sufficient to maintain centered on what issues most are higher positioned to face the challenges the 2022 college yr is about to ship.

The governor mentioned at his inauguration, “Let’s get to work.”

Many of the college districts within the Fredericksburg space are prepared. Is Youngkin?