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Vanessa Hall
Dec 7, 20233 min read
A (Seemingly) Pleasant Surprise from Virginia's Department of Education
A Review of the Northern Virginia VDOE Accountability Listening Session I don’t know if any of you have attended any of the VDOE...
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Marianne Burke, PhD
Nov 28, 20232 min read
Underfunded Education: The Crisis We Can't Ignore
Preparing for the 2024 General Assembly: Public Education Priorities The verdict is in. Not only is Virginia seriously underfunding its...
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Vanessa Hall
Nov 15, 20238 min read
School Board Matters: Blue Skies and Smiles Shining So Bright
November 9, 2023 School Board meetings have become ground zero for the culture wars, so 4 Public Education is introducing a new blog...
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Vanessa Hall
Oct 27, 20237 min read
Education Apocalypse
Imagine a world where the Moms for Liberty and like-minded individuals were elected to the school board, state legislature, and...
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Marianne Burke, PhD
Oct 11, 20233 min read
Gaslighting the Public: Misinterpreting Student Performance and NAEP Scores (3 of 3)
Although Governor Youngkin was lambasted 18 months ago for his inaccurate conclusions about the current state of Virginia Public...
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Vanessa Hall
Oct 10, 20233 min read
Book Bans by any other Name Smell like Censorship
After a recent school board meeting, I was distracted by a Fairfax GOP-endorsed school board candidate yelling at me, when her friend...
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Marianne Burke, PhD
Oct 5, 20232 min read
Raise your Hand for Healthy School Environments Symposium
We need to allow people to talk and we need to be open-minded. Our differences don’t need to divide us–they can bring us together. - Dr....
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Vanessa Hall
Oct 5, 20233 min read
School Board Matters: A Focus on Literacy by Third Grade!
School Board meetings have become ground zero for the culture wars, so 4 Public Education is introducing a new blog called “School Board...
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Vanessa Hall
Sep 30, 20234 min read
Unstoppable Stories: Banned Books Week (October 1-7)
As you may know, book bans have been on the rise with requests to ban books at record high in 2022. Like you, 4 Public Education is...
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Vanessa Hall
Sep 26, 20231 min read
Get Involved in Renaming Woodson High School
After more than 60 years of being named for an active promoter of Massive Resistance to desegregation and FCPS's second longest FCPS...
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Marianne Burke (PhD) and Vanessa Hall
Sep 19, 20235 min read
Gaslighting the Public: Manufactured Crisis over SOL Scores (2 of 3)
For two years in a row, Governor Youngkin has blamed slow growth and recovery of SOL test scores on his predecessors and pandemic school...
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Marianne Burke, PhD
Aug 30, 20233 min read
Gaslighting the Public: Manufactured SAT Crisis (1 of 3)
Governor Youngkin continues to gaslight the public by manufacturing problems that he continues to blame on public schools in Virginia....
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Vanessa Hall
Aug 25, 20232 min read
FCPS Rallies in Support of Transgender Students
On August 15, 2023, FCPS Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid made an official statement after community members expressed concern about...
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4PE Team
Aug 24, 20232 min read
Welcome Back to School!
Families across Fairfax County are busy with supply lists and getting kids out of the house on time, while teachers are working hard to...
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Vanessa Hall
Jul 27, 20233 min read
Reject Youngkin's "Don't Be Trans" School Policies
Last week, Glenn Youngkin’s Department of Education released their so-called “ Model Policies on Ensuring Privacy, Dignity, and Respect...
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Meg, guest student blogger
Jun 1, 20232 min read
We are Not Fine: One Student's Struggle with Suicide
Meg, an eighth grader, has struggled with suicide. After seeking help, they bravely share their experience to the Fairfax County School...
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Cheryl Binkley
May 11, 20231 min read
Teacher Appreciation Week 2.0
Some teachers will get gift cards, or mugs or flowers. Some will get a child’s smile or no notice at all. What would really say teachers...
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Vanessa Hall
May 3, 20232 min read
Put Mental Health First
One in six kids aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year, and half of all mental health conditions begin by age 14 with up...
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Marianne Burke, PhD
Apr 27, 20234 min read
Political drama over Virginia History Standards
Finally! On April 20, 2023 the revised Virginia History and Social Studies Standards of Learning (History SOL) was approved by the...
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Vanessa Hall
Mar 31, 20235 min read
Exercise your Rights, Parents!
Last week, Republicans passed a “Parent’s Bill of Rights” in the House, which is likely to fail in the Senate. Democrats and some...
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A Week in the Trenches Dodging Bullet Points
Speaking up from the trenches, teachers share their five bullet points, in light of the federal battle against education.
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At the Statehouse: End of General Assembly Session
The 2025 General Assembly Session ended on February 22. Sadly, bills that called for improved funding for public education were defeated...
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At the Statehouse: Few Priority Education Bills Remain and Budget Negotiations are Impending
February 4th was Crossover, which is the last day for each chamber to act on its own bills. After that date, all bills that passed in...
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