Virginia has more than 1.2 million students in its 1,860 public schools, and there is a lot of information about those schools if you know where to look.
Your local school or school system is a good starting point.
But one of the best sources for comprehensive information about all of the state's schools is the Virginia Department of Education and its Web site.
Many people know about the report cards that are provided for all schools, school systems and the state that were established as part of Virginia's accountability efforts more than a decade ago, said department spokesman Charles Pyle. The report cards include many pieces of information: attendance, Standards of Learning test scores by grade and subject for all six reported subgroups of students, the education levels of teachers, and whether the school is succeeding under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
If you'd like to get a sense of your child's safety while at school, there's information on crime and violence that's broken down by violation.
In addition to the report cards, there is information that may not be as obvious but just as useful to taxpayers and parents.
For example, a current topic of interest is school budgets. Information such as state funding amounts and stimulus money is available by system. Some of it can be technical, Pyle said, but the agency increasingly gets calls from the general public about how their schools are funded or spending money.
Public interest can help spur officials to post information. For example, Pyle said, figures on lottery proceeds for K-12 education by system are expected to be available online within the week. "This is information that the public requests frequently," he said. "It's all part of accountability."
Contact Holly Prestidge at (804) 649-6945 or hprestidge@timesdispatch.com.
Tomorrow: Use public information to learn more about crime and safety in your community.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement