Secretary of Education: Initiatives

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Education Initiatives

P-16 Council

The P-16 Council works to integrate reform efforts across the entire spectrum of education in Virginia, from preschool to graduate school.
See our P-16 Council pages.

Early Childhood Initiatives

Start Strong Council

Created by Governor Kaine in one of his first acts as governor, the Start Strong Council is charged with expanding access to preschool for Virginia's 4-year-olds via creative public-private partnerships in communities across the state.
See our Start Strong pages.

Smart Beginnings

Smart Beginnings is a partnership between the Governor, state agencies, local partnerships and the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation to enhance opportunities for optimal growth and development for children from birth to kindergarten.
See the Smart Beginnings Web site.

Governor's Working Group

Governor Kaine established the Working Group on Early Childhood Initiatives to coordinate executive branch efforts on early childhood programs and strengthen public and private programs. The working group, chaired by the Secretary of Education, brings together high-level staff from cabinet offices and state agencies in the areas of Education, Health and Human Resources, Economic Development, Finance and Policy.

Governor’s Healthy Virginians/Healthy Students Week

The General Assembly has designated the third week in September as Healthy Virginians/Healthy Students Week. In observance of the first Healthy Students Week in 2007, the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Health and Human Resources extended an invitation to local school divisions and health districts to participate in the Governor’s Healthy Students Summit on September 20. The purpose of the Summit was to foster local collaboration between school divisions and health districts to develop action plans to address childhood obesity. Read more about the successful 2007 summit.

High School Reform

NGA Honor States Grant

Virginia was one of ten states selected by the National Governors Association to participate in its effort to Redesign the American High School. Virginia selected thirty high schools (honor schools) throughout the state of Virginia to serve as laboratories for high school reform. Each school received grant funds for programs to increase high school graduation rates and college readiness. Get more information from the Virginia Honor States Grant site.

Commonwealth Scholars

Commonwealth Scholars is a pilot program to encourage students in 18 participating school divisions to take rigorous courses that go beyond the minimum graduation requirements for a Standard Diploma.
For more information, visit the Virginia Career Education Foundation Web site.

Teacher Quality

Helping guarantee teacher quality is an important, ongoing goal for the Kaine administration. Current initiatives includes raising teacher salaries; providing instructors with regular and meaningful evaluations; and working to recruit and retain the best teachers for our public schools. Read more.

Higher Education

Research Initiative

The 2006-2008 budget includes unprecedented funding for research institutions that will benefit Virginia greatly. Read more.

Restructuring

Restructuring of Virginia’s public institutions of higher education extends them autonomy in areas such as capital building projects, procurement, and personnel. Find out more.

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