WASHINGTON (June 26, 2026) — Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) Director of Education Policy Rachel Canter released the following statement in response to the Virginia State Board of Education’s vote to move forward with raising learning expectations for Virginia schools on their original timeline and reject further delays:
“The Virginia State Board of Education sent a strong message in a 7-0-1 vote yesterday that children in Virginia can’t wait any longer for the state to get honest about how they’re doing in reading, math, and science.
“In 2025, the Virginia State Board of Education made the forward-looking choice to increase the definition of grade-level learning on its state assessments from the lowest bar in the country to among the highest. This move was not only a recognition that the lowest-in-the-country learning expectations are not good enough for Virginia, but also a vote of confidence in the potential of Virginia students and teachers to meet the higher bar. After much debate between those who wanted the change to happen immediately and those who wanted a long runway, the Virginia State Board chose to compromise: the bar would be phased in over four years, by boosting the definition of ‘proficient’ until reaching the permanent, higher bar in 2029-2030.
“But as almost always happens, there’s an effort afoot working harder to hide behind low expectations than helping students and teachers meet higher ones. On Wednesday, the State Board heard a proposal from the Virginia Department of Education to forgo increasing expectations until the 2028-2029 school year and then move the bar in one fell swoop.
“Thankfully, the Virginia State Board of Education recognized that calls to delay raising standards are just the nice façade people put on their true intentions to kill them entirely whenever the next deadline comes. Let’s be honest why: Some schools and districts that look just fine right now will look less stellar when the system becomes more rigorous. It’s not about student learning; it’s about the perception of a system run by adults.
“But temporary growing pains — and that’s what they are whenever we reach for better with kids — are not a reason to keep lying to children and families about how much students really know. We learned this lesson in Mississippi: Until we were truthful about what every child really knew, we couldn’t start the process of getting a whole lot better. The sky did not fall when we leveled up what we wanted from kids. Instead, families gave us the grace to keep going because we all understood that leaping over a low state bar had only ever given us one thing — last place nationally.
“Every governor in America is an education governor, whether they know it or not. States spend an enormous portion of their budgets, and frequently a significant share of local taxes, on public education. It’s one of the issues that touches the lives of every citizen in a profound way, helping to determine their opportunity in life and the economic vitality of the state and its communities. The great difference among our 50 education governors, then, is whether the person in the mansion leads on education with vision.
“Governor Spanberger has a rare opportunity to show the country what it looks like for a Democratic governor to speak loudly in support of high expectations for student learning, the belief that all children can learn, and the fundamental principle that improvement in any system begins with honesty about your starting place. She can show this commitment by supporting the State Board in staying the course. Between now and August, she can also fill the pending state board vacancy with a new member who shares the vision that Virginia students are capable of learning at high levels and that the job of education leaders is to align their work and resources to that end.
“Virginia students, like those in every state across the nation, deserve no less.”
The Reinventing America’s Schools Project inspires a 21st-century model of public education geared to the knowledge economy. Two models, public charter schools and public innovation schools, are showing the way by providing autonomy for schools, accountability for results, and parental choice among schools tailored to the diverse learning styles of children.
Founded in 1989, PPI is a catalyst for policy innovation and political reform based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to create radically pragmatic ideas for moving America beyond ideological and partisan deadlock. Find an expert and learn more about PPI by visiting progressivepolicy.org. Follow us at @PPI.
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Media Contact: Ian O’Keefe – iokeefe@ppionline.org
