VCC Magazine Summer 2018

Priorities with Purpose By Atif Qarni

After the whirlwind of inauguration, transitioning from an 8th grade classroom to theGovernor’s Cabinet, and theGeneralAssembly session; I knew that the first thing I needed to do as Secretary of Education was spend time visiting and listening to colleagues, educational professionals and citizens all over the Commonwealth. My purpose in doing so was to broaden my perspective and deepen my understanding of the educational landscape in Virginia. So this spring my team and I embarked on an Education Listening Tour, with the specific goal of using the experience to inform targeted educational priorities for the administration. We sought to visit every region and every aspect of the educational continuum in order to make the tour as worthwhile and meaningful as possible. From March through June we travelled more than 4,000 miles. My team and I visited more than 80 early childhood learning settings, public and private schools, community colleges, most of our higher

education centers, and many of our public and private four-year institutions. We met with students, teachers, professors, coaches, elected school, county and state

officials, counselors, deans, principals, parents, business owners, college presidents, specialists, superintendents, and community activists. It was both productive and eye-opening. The enthusiasm, constructive ideas, innovative programs, support systems, and creative solutions working in every community overwhelmed us. We also sought out and heard about the challenges—some consistent from community to community, others unique to a particular place. Together, these experiences helped us establish the following four educational priorities for the Governor and our administration. The underpinning of all four of these priorities is a foundational and driving belief that all children,

regardless of their zip code, should have access to a high-quality, highly- relevant public education. First, we will seek to both improve the quality of and expand access to early childhood care and learning programs for Virginia’s most at-risk children. In partnership with First Lady Pam Northam, Secretary Carey, and their respective teams, we will work to improve the quality of and expand access to educational and child care settings serving our most vulnerable children; support our early childhood practitioner workforce; and better align the policies of state agencies and early care and learning programs. Second, we will advance a vision for excellence and equity in all schools and students in Virginia, particularly by encouraging positive school climates, mitigating the teacher shortage, and fostering innovative teaching and learning in

V irginia C apitol C onnections , S ummer 2018

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