Del. R. Steven Landes, R-Weyers Cave, and Chairman of the House Education Committee, and Sen. Stephen D. Newman, R-Forest, and Chairman of the Senate Education and Health Committee, brought together members to address the future of education in the Commonwealth Thursday at the 2016 Virginia Education Summit on the campus of Central Virginia Community College.
The two-day summit united leading education experts and legislators to examine issues related to K-12 education, postsecondary education and the workforce, diving into topics including digital learning and technology, low-performing schools, school leadership, and the latest reauthorization of ESEA – the Every Student Succeeds Act.
“This Summit—our third, and the first joint venture with the Senate—is designed to broaden our knowledge base so that we can be more equipped to make effective policy decisions on the pressing issues facing our school system,” said Landes. “Our goal is to provide the highest quality education for all of our students so they will be ready to succeed in college and career.”
The University of Virginia and The Hunt Institute, an affiliate of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, worked alongside Del. Landes and Sen. Newman to organize and host the event.
“We are delighted to host the Summit in conjunction with the Hunt Institute and the University of Virginia,” said Newman. “We recently established a two-year Joint Committee of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health to study the future of public elementary and secondary education in the Commonwealth. This is an important meeting for our members, and we are eager to learn more about the issues so that we can reinforce education excellence in Virginia.”
The Summit featured remarks from Del. Landes and Sen. Newman; former North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt; and Dr. Javaid Siddiqi, Executive Director and CEO of The Hunt Institute and former Virginia Secretary of Education.
Through a series of panel discussions and presentations, legislators heard from a variety of experts, including: Neil Ridley, Director of the State Initiative, Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University; B.J. Burch, Vice President and General Manager of BWX Technologies; Scott Palmer, Managing Partner and Co-founder of EducationCounsel; Dr. Courtney Brown, Vice President of Strategic Impact at the Lumina Foundation; Peter Blake, Director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; and a host of Virginia principals, superintendents, higher education leaders, and legislators.
Participants also had the opportunity to experience a pilot program at UVA’s Curry School of Education that provides teachers in training with instant feedback on classroom management. The simulator allows education students to test their skills as they attempt to teach a lesson with simulated students.
“The Hunt Institute appreciates the partnership of UVA and is pleased to support Del. Landes and Sen. Newman as they foster these important conversations,” said Dr. Siddiqi. “I applaud the Committees for their commitment to ensuring that Virginia’s education system sets all of our students up for success in their postsecondary endeavors, the workforce, and life.”
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