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Governor Kaine Announces Formation of the Office of Early Childhood Development

The Office of Early Childhood Development will work to expand access to and coordinate Virginia’s system of high-quality early childhood development programs - birth to age five - providing a seamless continuum of services and education to Virginia’s neediest children and their families.

View the Governor’s News Release.

Virginia Eighth Graders Score Higher than Nation in Writing

Virginia students outperformed students nationwide on the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) writing test. The commonwealth’s eighth graders achieved an average score of 157, three points higher than the national average of 154. Virginia students scored significantly higher than students in 20 other states. Test takers in only seven states achieved significantly higher average scores

View the News Release.

Make a difference - one classroom at a time.

Founded in 2000 by a young high school teacher, DonorsChoose.org has been recognized as "America’s most innovative charity" by the Stanford Business School and Amazon.com.

DonorsChoose.org is a not-for-profit web site where public school teachers can submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. Through the website, individuals nationwide can review and choose projects to help fund. To search Virginia projects waiting to be funded, visit www.donorschoose.org/va.

What We Do

The Secretary of Education assists the Governor in the development and implementation of the state's education policy. The Education Secretariat provides guidance to the 16 public universities, the Virginia Community College System, five higher education and research centers, the Department of Education, the state-supported museums.

Governor Kaine's Top Education Goals

Expand access to high-quality preschool education.
Dramatically increase the number of students who are reading proficiently by third grade.
Better prepare students for post-secondary education and the workforce.
Increase the number of graduates at all levels, from high school to community college to senior college and graduate programs.

See here for additional details.

Civil Rights Memorial Literary Contest

The Secretary of Administration is hosting the High School Literary Contest: "From Struggle to Triumph to Tomorrow." The contest is open to all Virginia students in grades 9-12 and will help commemorate the Capitol Square Civil Rights Memorial.

For more information and to submit your entry, please visit the Secretary of Administration's site.

American Diploma Project

The American Diploma Project (ADP) Network includes 32 states that are dedicated to making sure every high school graduate is prepared for college or work.

In Virginia, representatives from community colleges, four-year colleges and universities, the Department of Education, the Secretary of Education’s Office, NASA-Langley and the College Board are working with high school teachers to make sure Virginia’s high school standards adequately prepare students for postsecondary education and high-performance jobs.

For more info and links, please see our American Diploma Project page.

Commonwealth Scholars

"Moving from Competence to Excellence"

Commonwealth Scholars is a business-driven program that encourages all students to take a more challenging course of study in high school and recognizes the efforts of those who successfully complete the program. Members of the business community play a vital role in Commonwealth Scholars by visiting middle and high school classrooms and making presentations that help students understand the relevance of more rigorous courses and how that will benefit them in college and the workplace. Students who complete the Commonwealth Scholars course of study will be better prepared for whatever work or studies they pursue after graduation from high school. Governor Kaine launched this initiative in September 2006.

For additional Scholars information visit the Virginia Career Education Foundation website and for more detail on increased academic rigor visit our P-16 page.

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