ISSUES: Elementary Education: Excellence and Equity Centered on Children

Virginia ranks eleventh in personal income but is forty-third among states in per pupil spending, and twenty-first among states in average teacher salary. State funding provided to localities to meet the “Standards of Quality” (SOQs) is inadequate, and divisions like Albemarle and Charlottesville expend considerable local tax dollars to make up the shortfall. Layers of accountability required of school divisions by the Standards of Learning (SOLs) and the federal government’s No Child Left Behind (NCLB) further complicate academic achievement. While we need to continue approaches that improve accountability, including testing as appropriate, we cannot become so wedded to testing that our schools are not permitted to innovate to improve student achievement.

In elementary schools, we should focus on what works, stressing accountability, demanding excellence, and instituting remediation so that all children will have the opportunity to gain a strong foundation for their future lives. I support what has worked in the past and what will need to occur in the future, including:

• • Smaller class sizes, especially in K-3
  
  • Raising teacher salaries to the national average
• • Greater parental involvement through grants to schools with innovative approaches and encouragement to employers to provide work release time for parents to participate in school activities.
• • Increasing state funding for renovating existing schools in mature communities and building new schools where needed.
• • Providing more state monies for remediation to improve student achievement, both during and after the school day.
• • Involving community groups who target parental involvement and work to bridge the achievement gap.