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[♪♪♪]
- Welcome to This Week in Richmond,
and a very special welcome back to Secretary Dietra Trent,
secretary of education.
I appreciate your being on with two folks
with areas of education that they work on
to talk about education issues.
Dr. Brenda D. Long in Career & Technical Ed
and Bob Hundley from the schoolboards,
and we want to start with you, Secretary Trent,
to help lay out for us and for our viewers,
what are some of the biggest challenges,
opportunities that you see,
even in the next two or three years.
We may, toward the end of the show,
or whenever you all want to talk about the immediate,
but as you step back and look out a little distance,
what are some of the biggest challenges
in public education in the Commonwealth?
- Well, thank you, David,
and thank you for having me again.
I appreciate this opportunity
to share the governor's education agenda,
what he has done,
and what we have to do, going forward.
We have about six more months in this administration,
maybe a little over six months,
and we're still pushing really, really hard.
I want to thank Brenda and Bob for what they do.
Bob, with the schoolboard,
certainly do make my job a lot easier
as I work with schoolboard members across the state,
and Brenda with CTE.
That's obviously a really big area
that the governor has been focused on.
So, we appreciate all that you all are doing
to help us in this administration.
I want to begin by just saying what we have done
and where we were when we came in.
DAVID: Good.
- When the governor ran, he went around the state
and talked to a lot of people in education
and just kind of heard some of their concerns.
He came in with a big and a bold agenda,
wanting to do a lot,
and I think he's made a lot of progress in that regard.
As he went around the state,
he heard a lot about standards of learning
and how our kids are being over-tested.
These high-stake tests were stressing teachers
as well as the students out,
and so, the first thing that he did when he came in
was to reduce the SOLs by five.
We still have a lot of tests.
The federal government only requires 17;
we still have 26 tests,
but we've made progress in that regard.
We have an SOL Innovation Committee
which is made up of legislators, educators, advocates,
business people who are really looking at
how we're testing our students now
and what's the relevant way and the best way
to assess individual strengths or weaknesses.
We also looked at the budget
and we put $1 billion in new funding in education.
We provided a lot more flexibility
to school divisions to use that money.
The governor stressed a lot about innovation
and making sure that we have more innovative models.
We have redesigned our high schools
to make those more relevant to 21st century
and the New Virginia Economy.
So, we've done a lot. We've accomplished a lot.
We are looking now at our standards of quality
and our standards of accreditation.
We have a long way to go with that.
Well, not really a long way,
but we still are in the process of doing that.
DAVID: Right. - We have the ESSA,
which is the federal standards that we're putting in place.
So, we do have a lot on our plate right now,
but I think the largest and the most significant challenge
in public education, and this is a national challenge,
and that is a teacher shortage.
Unfortunately, a lot of people,
the number of people who used to go into the field,
are no longer going there.
We have a huge gap.
Last year, as of October 30th of last year,
two months after school started,
Virginia was down 800 teachers around the state
in some of our most critical areas
like math and science, and students with disabilities.
So that's a huge area where we've got to...
it's almost at a crisis point
where we've got to start looking at
how we're going to engage our youth to go into that field
and how we're going to continue to build that pipeline.
So, we're looking at that.
Not only is that a problem, but within that problem,
there's an even greater problem which is diversity.
We have about 1.3/1.4 million students in Virginia.
About half of them are minorities
but only about 15% of our teachers are minorities,
and so we've got to also increase and diversify
our teacher pipeline.
So that's probably the largest thing that we have
and that this state as well as the country
is going to have to tackle and figure out
how we're going to staff our classrooms,
how we're going to treat our teachers
to ensure that we have more people
going into the field.
And then the other thing is what we've been dealing with
for probably the last 50-plus years,
and that is the achievement gap.
The achievement gap
between minority students and majority students
is still pretty significant.
So that's another area that's has been a challenge
and continues to be a challenge,
not only in Virginia, but nationally.
- Well, thank you for that quick review,
and also in laying out some of the biggest challenges.
Brenda and Bob, you all enter in and comment on
what you're seeing, too, as biggest challenges.
- One of the biggest for Career & Technical Education
is the teacher shortage.
In Virginia, career and technical education
ranks in the top five of the shortages in Virginia.
So, we do have to do something,
whether it's working with our higher education,
colleges, universities,
to increase or upgrade our teacher preparation programs.
We do have to do something in high school.
We have a program within career and technical education
of Teachers for Tomorrow that lead them
into those opportunities to go into teaching,
but it's a real shortage for career and technical education,
and we're looking at career switchers.
There's opportunities for folks from business and industry
to come into the classroom.
We want the best qualified,
and our business and industry folks
have those technical skills.
It's just working with them
that they get those instructional best practices
to use with students.
And then the other challenge I think,
with Career & Technical Education,
is that we want to continue to have
these rigorous programs for students,
those that are going to meet the high-demand,
high-wage, high-skilled jobs.
We've got to keep those programs moving.
We've got to keep them on the forefront
so that parents see the opportunities.
Our STEM programs,
our Governor STEM Academies and Health/Science Academies,
a lot of those jobs are going to require
less than a four-year degree, but they certainly require
some education beyond high school,
as do most jobs,
and the opportunities to go into those STEM job areas
with an associate degree or an equivalent to
a one- or two-year certificate or industry certifications.
So, we've got to continue to keep that on the forefront
and build awareness with parents.
Our national PTA has partnered with
the national ACTE Association on this
to make parents more aware of the career options for students.
So highly effective career programs,
continue with those, and to build on those,
and to build on those
that certainly that have to relate to the workforce.
Cyber security is a big concern,
and we will be building out some CTE courses this fall
in cyber security so our students get that foundation
if they want to move into those fields.
- Okay. Bob.
- I think Secretary Trent and Dr. Long
have both hit on the issue
that the Virginia Schoolboard Association
sees as the most significant challenge that we have
and that is the teacher shortage
and how do we best deal with that.
I think the General Assembly and the governor's office
worked closely recently in past sessions
to deal with some of the criteria
that CTE teachers must have
in order to become teachers in Virginia.
I think we're probably
going to need to look at other alternatives
that we might be able to work together
with the governor's office on
in terms of how can we best facilitate teachers
of regular ed classes
to best be utilized by the public-school system.
Do we create obstacles in our current format
as far as how we assign credentials to our teachers,
and is there another way
that we could use career switchers more effectively?
- What about the military in Virginia
and the number of people coming out of the military?
Do you see those going in,
whether in regular subjects or career and technical ed,
or helping?
Is there any prospects of hope there for...?
- Yes. The Department of Education
just rolled out a program this year
to reach out to military persons who are coming out of military
and transitioning into teacher jobs.
So that's definitely an option.
I want to just mention to Brenda--
and thanks to Brenda and her organization--
I believe about two or three years ago,
we were able to pass legislation
to allow adjunct faculty to teach CTE in our high schools.
So, if a person is a military person,
and he is an engineer,
or he is someone who works in cyber security,
the Department of Education will work with them on licensing.
It's not that they would not, you know,
curtail the criteria in any way,
but they would not have to go through the rigor of that
a normal person would have to go through
because they're already in the field.
So, they would work with them in order to get their licensing
to go into the classrooms to teach.
So, we're definitely looking at stuff that we can do
to make it a little easier.
The Department of Education is also looking at ways
where we can do a better job of using our resources that we have
and expanding the resources that we have
particularly in our high-need areas like math--
is there a way that we can use two or three teachers
to teach more students at one time in math
instead of trying to get, you know,
five math teachers to teach 30 or 20 students at a time;
is there a way that we can get two math teachers to do that
in a more comprehensive way.
So, the Department of Education has really been looking at ways
that they can actually use the current resources
but to use it a little bit more effectively
in terms of how we dispatch our teachers
across the localities.
Brenda also mentioned cyber security
which is a huge initiative of the governor.
He is chair of the National Governor's Association
where he speaks to all the governors around the country,
and his initiative is Meet the Threat,
and it's a cyber security initiative,
and so he's put a lot of emphasis on that.
Last year, we were able to do 32 cyber security camps
across the state in some of our high-need areas
and these were for middle and high school students.
So, we're trying as much as possible
to get them exposed to the career,
the high-demand careers.
Brenda also mentioned just getting students more involved
and making sure that they understand
that there is a need for post-secondary credential,
and the governor was able to get $15 million,
almost $16 million in the budget
to establish a New Virginia Economy Workforce Grant,
and that's a grant
where students can actually go to a community college,
receive a high-demand certification
and we worked with the community colleges around the state.
The 23 community colleges identified 124 different areas
which they will provide certifications
that are high demand in their particular area,
and students can go to that school.
They will pay one-third the cost of the certification,
and the state picks up the other two-thirds.
So that's an opportunity for students
who do not want to go to a four-year university,
who just want to receive certification or a license
in a high-demand area that they can take advantage of that.
- You mentioned something
that I don't know if I've heard before.
I want to make sure I heard it right,
go back and revisit and think about the schools,
and that is the potential for in some subjects,
teachers teaching more than 25 or 30 students.
I would imagine from the parents like small classes,
but many of them then have students
who graduated high school and go to university
and they sit in an auditorium with hundreds
in some of the introductory courses in fields.
So, Bob, let me ask you,
and then get all three of you involved,
is there something there that-- you're in Hanover County,
but you're also working with schoolboards
in your capacity across the state--
where that could be something that would be tested out,
tried out in some schools to see about having larger classes
in algebra or some subject?
- Sure.
Well, I certainly think that with respect to
all of the advances in technology that we've had
over the past decades,
we certainly need to do all that we can
with respect to virtual learning,
and take advantage of those opportunities
wherever possible,
and that may be an opportunity to increase pace.
I believe Secretary Trent hit on some of the things
that the governor's office and DOE are currently working on
with respect to redesigning high school.
I think that provides us with an opportunity
to look at ways that we could
more effectively instruct people with credentials
as opposed to seat time and credit hours.
So, I think those are opportunities
that are very exciting
for Virginia Schoolboards Association
with respect to the redesign of high school
and what that's going to look like.
And I know there'll be opportunities for people
to weigh in on those public hearings during the summer
for that particular issue with respect to accreditation,
profile of a graduate,
all those types of issues coming out of DOE.
- And we're certainly looking at that,
the profile of the graduate and redesign of the high school,
and as we see the opportunities for students there,
increased opportunities for base learning,
that is going to help... they'll be able to feed
into the workforce with some skill
after their post-secondary career.
So there's a lot of opportunities
that Career & Technical Education
will be looking into on that profile,
but as we look at what base learning,
internships, mentorships, job shadowing and so forth,
and the opportunities for career exploration
for grades K-12,
that's going to help our students, I think,
to make some very good decisions about their career
as they go through their high school career
and then be able to go right into what that career is
after high school, whether-- as we said, we know they need
some post-secondary training after that--
whether it's a one-, two-, or four-year degree,
but at the end of the day, we want them employed.
Every parent wants their child to have a job
at the end of the day.
You know, that career,
whether it's going to be that college route.
We talk college-ready and career-ready,
but it's really career-ready,
to be competitive in that workforce
and in that job market.
DIETRA TRENT: Exactly.
- So, virtual learning, using technology,
is that something that there's some growing consensus,
you might say on this?
- Definitely. We had a bill in this year
that would expand virtual learning across the state.
Our bill was competing with another bill.
Unfortunately, our bill did not get out of the House,
and the bill that we were competing with,
the attorney general ruled that it was unconstitutional.
So, we did not--the governor vetoed that bill.
So, we are very concerned about that.
We worked on that bill for a year,
and we worked with the patron of the other bill,
consistently trying to actually come together
and to work together,
and to come up with a viable option
that everybody could live with, but at the end of the day,
if it's unconstitutional, it's unconstitutional,
and unfortunately his bill would have taken the authority
away from our localities, and of course localities have,
by Constitution, have authority to, you know,
decide what's going on in their school systems.
And so, it is something that we've been working on,
something that we're really concerned about
and something that we'll continue to push
in terms of providing high quality virtual education
throughout the state.
Our bill would have done that,
but unfortunately, it didn't make it out.
- And Bob, is that something
that schoolboards weigh in on as well?
- Yes, David. The Virginia Schoolboards Association
created a virtual learning task force several years ago
and put together a bunch of folks
that all had stakes with respect to virtual learning.
I think the main issue
for Virginia Schoolboards Association is,
what does a good quality virtual learning program look like,
what should it look like,
what is a good virtual learning class.
How is that staffed? How is that managed?
All those types of questions.
I think once we can get our arms around that particular issue,
I think we can perhaps move forward
with getting that used more commonly
throughout the Commonwealth.
- So, in our closing four or five minutes,
2018 session will be here soon.
Will not be in the General Assembly building
but maybe the Pocahontas building
will almost be nicknamed the General Assembly building
for four years.
The governor's term will be ending,
but you're passing things on.
What do you see then
as some of the biggest opportunities or challenges
in the 2018 session of the General Assembly?
Bob?
- I think going back to the issue of
the DOE's public hearings this summer
with respect to what accreditation looks like
for public schools,
I think those opportunities are clear.
We have an opportunity, I think, to make progress,
and continue progress on the CTE credentialing
that has occurred over the last several years.
Of course, I wouldn't be doing my job
if I didn't say that Virginia's schoolboards
are looking forward to having some additional funding
for our localities with respect to the state portion.
We're still struggling somewhat
from our recession from 2007/2008
and getting back to the levels that we were at in those years
to try and help some of our more struggling communities
with their teacher shortages.
- Before involving Brenda and Dietra,
let me mention, I jotted down the boards of education
having public hearings all around the Commonwealth,
that you can go on the board of ed's site
and find them.
In June, in Falls Church,
in July, Wytheville and Harrisonburg,
in August, Virginia Beach and South Hill,
and so there will be multiple opportunities
for people to weigh in, and the Department of Education
is, as you were saying, looking for people to come
and to have up to three minutes of testimony
to provide at that time. - That's right.
- What other--? - I have to agree with Bob.
One of the things that Career & Technical Education
will be looking at is funding.
We are very appreciative
of what the General Assembly did this year
in increasing funding, but one of the places
that on our industry credentials for students,
but the time that localities use their state funds
allotted to them and any federal funds allotted,
localities still are putting in from their local budget
quite a bit to meet those industry-credentialing
assessments for students.
So that's taken a toll on some of their budgets
in the career and technical education areas.
So we would like to look at more funding
for industry credentials
for both students and teachers in the General Assembly
and then to follow, as I said,
the standards of accreditation's proposals
and the profile of the graduate.
We'll be looking at those.
- And Secretary Trent, this January 13, 2018,
you may be continuing your position.
You may be in a new position.
You may be handing it off to someone else.
What would you, if you're handing it off,
what would you be handing off
as the big challenge and the big opportunity
in the 60 days of the 2018 session?
- I would have to say that the most important issues,
I would have to go back to the teacher shortage.
DAVID: Yes. Correct.
- I would say to my successor
and to the General Assembly of 2018
that if we are really serious about building this economy,
if we're really serious about the future of Virginia,
then we have to invest in our schools
and we have to invest in our teachers,
and without good quality teachers in our schools,
they are the ones that are going to shape our future.
They are the ones who are going to be in these businesses.
They are the ones who are going to be in the General Assembly
and in the Governor's Mansion.
We've got to do a better job than what we're doing
for our schools and our teachers.
We've got to provide them with raises.
We've got to provide them with resources that they need
to be effective in those classrooms.
I go around the schools every single week
and these teachers are working hard.
They are putting their blood and their sweat and tears
into these classrooms each and every day,
and so it's not a matter of, you know,
teachers who are not high quality.
It's a matter of resources,
and those that we have in the schools that are great,
they're overwhelmed by the issues
that they have to deal with each and every day.
There's a lot of trauma in our schools.
I mean, we've got to do better by our teachers,
and I think that's the greatest opportunity
and the greatest challenge.
- That's where we will have to end it because of time.
Thank you.
Thanks to each of the three of you very much.
- Thank you. - Glad to be here.
[♪♪♪]
- This Week in Richmond is made possible in part by
Dignity Memorial, caring for our communities
with a network of funeral homes and cemeteries
in Virginia and throughout North America.
More information about Dignity Memorial's providers
is online at DignityMemorial.com.
The Virginia Chamber of Commerce,
the voice of the Virginia business community.
For jobs, the economy, and public health,
Virginia hospitals are a lifeline.
- The Virginia Education Association,
because a good education is good for everybody.
- Additional support is provided by these sponsors...
And by the members of
Virginia's Public Television Stations.
Thank you.
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