VCU news

By Brian McNeill

Andrew P. Daire, Ph.D., dean of the School of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University, was appointed Wednesday as a co-chair of Virginia’s new advisory committee charged with making recommendations on culturally relevant and inclusive education practices in Virginia’s public schools.

The Culturally Relevant and Inclusive Education Practices Advisory Committee, which was established by the General Assembly during the 2020 session, held its inaugural virtual meeting Wednesday and Gov. Ralph Northam announced its leadership and members.

“Inclusive and culturally relevant learning environments are vital to creating equitable pathways to success for all Virginians,” Northam said in a news release. “The work of this committee will advance our ongoing efforts to tell the complete and accurate story of Virginia’s complex past, improve our history standards, and give educators opportunities to engage in important conversations and lessons with their students.”

Daire will co-chair the advisory committee alongside Sen. Jennifer Boysko and Francisco Durán, Ph.D., superintendent of Arlington public schools and a member of the Virginia Board of Education.

“The governor, [Virginia Department of Education] and Board of Education have been quite ambitious and successful in addressing educational equity in our K-12 schools in the commonwealth,” Daire said. “However, educator preparation programs also need to step up to the plate and revise how to prepare educators to ensure that we are best preparing educators to work with all schoolchildren. I do hope that this committee will develop meaningful recommendations for regulations and policy in this area.”

The Culturally Relevant and Inclusive Education Practices Advisory Committee will develop:

•  Recommendations to the state Department of Education for consideration by the Board of Education during the 2021-22 review of the History and Social Science Standards of Learning;
•  Recommendations for the development of Board of Education guidelines for local school division staff, including teachers and school counselors, on age-appropriate anti-bias education for students; and
•  Recommendations on professional development for school personnel related to culturally relevant and inclusive education practices, including but not limited to, considerations for:
•  Policies and regulations governing teacher preparation programs; and
•  Policies and regulations governing teacher licensure and professional development requirements for licensure renewal.
  
  

For the committee’s full list of members and additional information about its work, visit the Virginia Department of Education’s Virginia is for Learners website.