Education

African-American and immigrant communities in Virginia share many challenges, and there are critical policy solutions that could improve the lives of both immigrant and African-American Virginians. This report explores some of these challenges and solutions, focusing on residential segregation, schools that too often fail to meet the needs of all students, employment challenges for adults without high school diplomas, low wages for many workers, lack of health insurance and culturally competent health care, significant caretaking responsibilities without the benefit of paid sick leave and family leave, and harsher punishment in the criminal justice system.

Localities across the state are wrestling with tough questions about how to find the money they need to support their schools. But the fact is, the state bears substantial blame for the situation. State lawmakers made deep cuts to public education during and after the recession, and are only now starting to dig out of that hole.

Policymakers and concerned residents often ask if increased spending really improves student performance, particularly for those students who are struggling most. Well, a new study shows increased spending in low-income school districts raises the test scores of their students and reduces achievement gaps.

Virginia’s Senate and House approved a two-year budget that takes an important step forward by partially restoring support for public schools after many years of significant cuts. Unfortunately, the legislature did not appropriately target the help to school divisions in high-poverty communities that sustained the largest cuts.