Virginia State Board of Education
Encyclopedia
The Virginia State Board of Education is an independent board
established by the state
of Virginia
in the United States
which helps set state elementary
and secondary education
al policy, advocates within state government for elementary and secondary education, administers some state educational programs, and regulates the teaching
profession in the state.
, the primary governing role over public education in the state. Thus, the state board of education is merely an administrative agency which carries out the laws, policies, and programs established by the legislature.
The board is composed of nine members, who are appointed by the Governor of Virginia
and must be confirmed by the General Assembly. Members serve for four years, and may serve only two consecutive terms.
The board's duties include:
and a new State Board of Education to replace the old "trustees." In 1901, yet another new Virginia constitution expanded the board's members from three to eight, and greatly expanded its powers. In 1910, local agricultural schools were placed under the board's control.
Government agency
A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...
established by the state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
which helps set state elementary
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
and secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
al policy, advocates within state government for elementary and secondary education, administers some state educational programs, and regulates the teaching
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
profession in the state.
About the board
The Virginia state constitution gives the state legislature, the Virginia General AssemblyVirginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
, the primary governing role over public education in the state. Thus, the state board of education is merely an administrative agency which carries out the laws, policies, and programs established by the legislature.
The board is composed of nine members, who are appointed by the Governor of Virginia
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
and must be confirmed by the General Assembly. Members serve for four years, and may serve only two consecutive terms.
The board's duties include:
- Establishing a statewide curriculumCurriculumSee also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
; - Establishing high school graduation requirements;
- Establishing educational and certification requirements for teachers, principalsHead teacherA head teacher or school principal is the most senior teacher, leader and manager of a school....
, and other education personnel; - Establishing state educational assessment programs, including those for the federally required No Child Left Behind ActNo Child Left Behind ActThe No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools.NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office...
; - AccreditingAccreditationAccreditation is a process in which certification of competency, authority, or credibility is presented.Organizations that issue credentials or certify third parties against official standards are themselves formally accredited by accreditation bodies ; hence they are sometimes known as "accredited...
local schools and school districts; - Accrediting teacher and school administration education programs;
- Implementing federal education assistance programs, and ensuring that schools make reporting requirements under these programs; and
- Acting as a rulemakingRulemakingIn administrative law, rulemaking refers to the process that executive and independent agencies use to create, or promulgate, regulations. In general, legislatures first set broad policy mandates by passing statutes, then agencies create more detailed regulations through rulemaking.By bringing...
body to implement state educational programs.
Founding
The Virginia State Board of Education was founded in 1810 when the state of Virginia established a "literary fund" (designed to fund public education throughout the state) and the board of education (at the time, called the Board of Trustees of the Literary Fund) placed in charged of it. The state constitution of 1869 significantly revamped not only the state's system of elementary and secondary education, but also established a state Superintendent of EducationSuperintendent (education)
In education in the United States, a superintendent is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization....
and a new State Board of Education to replace the old "trustees." In 1901, yet another new Virginia constitution expanded the board's members from three to eight, and greatly expanded its powers. In 1910, local agricultural schools were placed under the board's control.