Spurred by complaints from the NAACP, Gov. Tim Kaine has launched an investigation to find out why racial disparities exist in talented-and-gifted programs in Virginia public education. Black children and youth constitute 26 percent of the state’s student population, but only 12 percent of students identified as gifted. Hispanics make up 9 percent of all students, and 5 percent of gifted students. But the figures for Asian children show just the reverse: The percentage of gifted Asian kids (11 percent) is twice the percentage of Asian students overall (5.5 percent).

The math scores from a national test called “The Nation’s Report Card” are in, and there’s reason to be concerned. According to this study, less than 40 percent of U.S. stu dents are deemed “proficient,“ and scores have hardly moved in the past two years. In addition, the disparity in scores between white and minority students has remained the same. According to The New York Times, the gap separating average black and white eighth-graders represents about three years’ worth of math learning.

Richmond’s public-school system has developed a new program aimed at reducing the dropout rate. That’s a commendable step, made all the more commendable for being taken with no extra money in hard economic times. The big question is whether it will work. We certainly hope so. But area residents should bear in mind the uphill climb the school system faces. Dropouts are, almost by definition, the most difficult kids to reach.

Richmonder Tami Hulcher, also known as “The Queen of Health,“ will be featured on a segment of “Extra” on Tuesday.  The health educator will present a demonstration called “How Spooky Is Your Halloween Candy?“ that shows how much sugar the treats contain. She also will discuss the effects of food dyes and additives on behavior and brain function.

Most educators are committed to the idea of giving every child every chance to succeed every day in our public schools. Yet Virginia’s 2009 on-time graduation rate, released Tuesday, reveals an alarming achievement gap for a state whose minority and low-income populations are increasing. Left unaddressed, these data portend a rocky economic future for the commonwealth.

New test scores show fourth-graders made no gains in math since 2007, although eighth-graders’ scores improved.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan will kick off an initiative to stress the need for more great teachers during a stop at the University of Virginia.

The progress Petersburg has made in improving its schools is heartening. The city faces great challenges, but it has proven that even daunting obstacles can be overcome. Much of the credit goes to superintendent James Victory, whose name carries a poetically appropriate connotation. Educators in other parts of the state might want to study how Petersburg has improved.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine yesterday urged business executives interested in boosting higher education to get involved in Virginia’s debate about transportation funding, arguably the central issue in the race for governor. The nominees for governor, Democrat R. Creigh Deeds and Republican Bob McDonnell, also addressed the summit at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, and voiced support for greater investment in the commonwealth’s twoand four-year public colleges and universities.

Bob McDonnell and Creigh Deeds both have pledged to lift teacher salaries in Virginia to the national average. We agree with The Washington Post. “There are more effective ways to improve teacher quality,“ a Post editorial explains after describing the pay proposal as a “wrong goal.“ For one thing, salaries vary throughout the state—and should. The cost of living in Northern Virginia far exceeds the cost of living in the commonwealth’s rural areas. Teachers in Fairfax need more money to make ends meet. Moreover, states seldom compete among themselves for teachers in K-12 education. Competition is more likely to occur among districts within states, as wealthier jurisdictions lure teachers from adjacent or nearby systems that might not be able to pay as much.

The mystique of raising trout is intimidating, Richard Landreth said. Actually raising trout, he assured several Smyth County teachers, is easy. If you can keep a goldfish alive, you can keep a trout alive, he said. Goldfish flourish in about 75-degree water. Trout like it a good 20 degrees cooler. That’s the main difference. Aside from being easy, the state Trout in the Classroom coordinator said, raising trout is educational. Last year, a fish tank in the classroom helped one Virginia teacher cover 13 of the 14 life-science objectives on the state Standards of Learning, Landreth said. The program, run by the state’s Trout Unlimited chapters, will reach about 15,000 students in more than 100 classrooms this year.

Barack Obama’s speech to schoolchildren stirred controversy even before the president delivered it. The reaction reflected two Americas—and, no, we are not talking exclusively of race. The content of the address inspired. Obama spoke as a mentor; he urged youngsters to hit the books and reminded them not to forsake education for lesser things. The words earned an A.

Before the controversy over President Obama’s speech to schoolkids fades too far into the distance, it might be worth noting one amusing but under-reported angle. Eighteen years ago, the first President Bush also gave a speech to schoolchildren. Like Obama’s, it was full of sound advice—“Don’t let peer pressure stand between you and your dreams,“ for instance. Unlike Obama’s, it wasn’t broadcast across the land. There was no study guide.

Now that the president has delivered his address to schoolchildren across the country—or at least some of them; many school districts, including most in Central Virginia, opted out—perhaps the nation will regain its senses. The speech was perfectly innocuous, and no different from one a thousand schools have heard some variation of a thousand times before. The only difference between the president’s address and countless other work-hard-and-apply-yourself soporifics is that the Obama administration decided it was worth broadcasting across the country, instead of picking just one schoolhouse to inflict it upon.

ARLINGTON (AP)—In a pep talk that kept clear of politics, President Barack Obama today challenged the nation’s students to take pride and ownership in their education—and stick with it even if they don’t like every class or must overcome tough circumstances at home.