Education

The State Department of Education and the Department of Technology should collaborate and encourage vendors to offer textbooks for K-12 in 21st century formats.  Having students carry heavy books home each night is unnecessary.  One set of classroom books plus a few spares for those students without internet at home would suffice, saving the state and localities millions of dollars in textbook acquisition.  Plus, on-line content can be updated so that facts don't become obsolete.  Our instructional content is often held hostage to the large textbook companies who control

I went to the University of Virginia Lawschool.  It's been slipping in the rankings.  Does anyone have thoughts as to why this is?

Thanks,

The Post Partisan

Offer a 1 year full ride scholarship to the top 10% of academic performers (in the case of small schools, 3.15 GPA is the cut-off point) in the state of Virginia to ANY state funded school upon normal application and acceptance procedures.  Ensure that this program is promoted by guidance counselors at all public schools.  In the event that the student fails classes once they arrive in college, student is REQUIRED to reimburse the states investment plus 0.5% interest penalty.

So here's my idea to totally change not only the Virginia education system, but the American education system as a whole.

Establish an Annual Governor's Challenge encouraging Virginia colleges and universities, public and private, to submit solutions to a specific area of need that would benefit the Commonwealth.

         an idea that would help students in virginia to achieve 100% on the SOL'S can would be workshops for parents which would simulate actual testing so parents can know what their child has to confront on test day. also, provide sample test booklets, computer knowledge for parents, stress management, etc. 

Who gave the school boards the rights to parent our kids?  If I give my child permission to addend an activity or event, that is the end of it.  Bottom line- they are our kids, not the schools!  Case in point, Great Bridge HS.  The marching band has been invited to march in the Disney World Christmas Parade, They HAD permission to attend, until the parents fought for the kids to allow them to ride the rides at the theme park.  It seems that our school board has determined that it is just to risky to allow teen agers to ride the Dumbo ride.  The parents met with

Wouldn't the old Blacksburg Middle School make a great skills, trades school?  Or even a institution for kids who have difficulty learning?

They could use this school in many productive ways.  Just need someone to step in and make it happen.  There are a lot of children in

our schools who need extra attention, and as a mother I feel that this is the best idea.  BUT the building could have been used

as a new Government Building, like the old overall factory in Christiansburg.  Just thoughts that are running in my head....