Va ed secretary backs range of education options
Section: News
Robinson has focused his interests on charter schools and school choice, especially for urban black families, and is president of the Black Alliance for Educational Options. He also worked on Virginia's initial charter-school legislation in 1998 when he was on the staff of Del. Mary Christian, D-Hampton.
As education secretary, he will be advocating for Gov. Bob McDonnell's priorities of expanding college access to more Virginians; giving public teachers merit pay and incentives for good performance; and establishing more public charter schools, including securing federal Race to the Top funding to assist in that effort.
Charter schools are public schools but are exempted from many regulations, allowing them to operate more like private schools. Virginia has three - compared to more than 100 in some states - and McDonnell wants to grow that number by seeking legislation to make it easier to start such schools.
Kitty Boitnott, president of the Virginia Education Association and chair of a state coalition that includes the VEA, the Virginia Association of School Superintendents, the PTA and the Virginia School Boards Association, said she and Robinson have much in common, including their passion for providing Virginia's students with the best public education possible, but they disagree on some of the methods.
"For him it involves school choice," said Boitnott, who said she had a "very cordial" conversation with Robinson on Wednesday. "But I believe we should give more to the public schools so people don't have to flee to charter schools."
Robinson is aware he may be pegged as the "charter school guy" but stresses he is a strong advocate of public education, including traditional schools, magnet schools and after-school programs. He also wants to strengthen connections between K-12 and higher education institutions and start emphasizing the importance of college to elementary-school children.
There's a misconception that "when you support traditional schools, you're not a supporter of reform, or if you support private schools, you're against public schools," he said.
As education secretary, he will be advocating for Gov. Bob McDonnell's priorities of expanding college access to more Virginians; giving public teachers merit pay and incentives for good performance; and establishing more public charter schools, including securing federal Race to the Top funding to assist in that effort.
Charter schools are public schools but are exempted from many regulations, allowing them to operate more like private schools. Virginia has three - compared to more than 100 in some states - and McDonnell wants to grow that number by seeking legislation to make it easier to start such schools.
Kitty Boitnott, president of the Virginia Education Association and chair of a state coalition that includes the VEA, the Virginia Association of School Superintendents, the PTA and the Virginia School Boards Association, said she and Robinson have much in common, including their passion for providing Virginia's students with the best public education possible, but they disagree on some of the methods.
"For him it involves school choice," said Boitnott, who said she had a "very cordial" conversation with Robinson on Wednesday. "But I believe we should give more to the public schools so people don't have to flee to charter schools."
Robinson is aware he may be pegged as the "charter school guy" but stresses he is a strong advocate of public education, including traditional schools, magnet schools and after-school programs. He also wants to strengthen connections between K-12 and higher education institutions and start emphasizing the importance of college to elementary-school children.
There's a misconception that "when you support traditional schools, you're not a supporter of reform, or if you support private schools, you're against public schools," he said.
August 30th
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