Virginia House Education Committee Continues to Focus on Student-Centered Policies for the 21st Century

November 9, 2015

NEWS RELEASE

House Education Committee Engages with Experts on Sustainable Strategies and Practices for Virginia

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Ensuring that Virginia has a strong public education system that will produce quality, high-skilled, well-educated workers capable of succeeding in tomorrow’s economy requires policymakers to be current on state-specific data and reliable, proven strategies to help achieve successful student outcomes. Members of the Virginia House of Delegates are meeting with top national and state education experts today for the 2nd Annual House Education Committee Summit at the University of Virginia (UVa) in Charlottesville.

The two-day Summit will feature state and national experts and tackle topics such as early childhood education, public charter schools, higher education, high-performance principal leadership, the condition and needs of Virginia’s public education system, virtual learning, and ways to use student data to produce gains.

“The annual Summit is designed to build capacity and expand our knowledge base on the most recent education matters so we can make sound, informed policy decisions to support Virginia’s education system,” said Delegate Landes. “The key to our economic success is the strength of our public education system. Therefore, our goal is to provide the quality educational needs for all our students to be academically successful, prepared for college and career, and ready to excel in our globally competitive economy.”

UVa and The Hunt Institute, a nonpartisan center for educational policy and leadership affiliated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, united with Delegate Landes to plan and host the event.

Former N.C. Governor Jim Hunt and UVa President Teresa Sullivan joined Delegate Landes for welcoming remarks, followed by a series of panel discussions and presentations from a number of leading education experts, including: Congressman Bobby Scott (D-3rd), Va. House Ranking Member, Committee on Education and Workforce; Anne Holton, Va. Secretary of Education; Dr. Billy Cannaday, president, Va. Board of Education; Barry DuVal, president and CEO, Va. Chamber of Commerce; Aimee Guidera, president and CEO, Data Quality Campaign; Nina Rees, president and CEO, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools; and a host of Virginia principals, superintendents, higher education administrators, and legislators.

“This Summit brings together a broad variety of leaders to present unbiased, accurate, and balanced information related to the most pressing issues in education in the Commonwealth,” said President Sullivan. “I am pleased that the University is hosting this important event and helping to lead the conversation.”

The closing keynote on Tuesday will be delivered by James W. Dyke, Jr., former Va. Secretary of Education and chairman of the Blueprint Virginia Subcommittee on K-12 Education and Cheryl A. Oldham, vice president of education policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and vice president of education and workforce, U.S. Chamber Foundation.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for us to come together to share knowledge, identify the challenges, and explore new ideas,” remarked Gov. Hunt. “We must continue to drive education and the economy forward – not just in Virginia, but across our nation. Every student deserves to have access to the best, quality public education possible. This is an important conversation, and we are pleased to partner with Delegate Landes and UVa for this outstanding event.”

For more information on the Summit, and to access materials, please visit http://studies.virginiageneralassembly.gov/meetings/292.

 

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Media Contact:
Tracie B. Ford
Associate Director of Communications
919.962.5947
tford@hunt-institute.org

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