Public Schools are soon to open, but they are doing so against a backdrop of debates over a variety of cultural and educational concerns that seem to be growing in intensity.

Pair this with the very natural worries that any parent has about sending a child to school, and it’s easy to understand why you or your neighbors are more unsettled than you might be as the new year draws closer.

Don’t be swept away by the distractions. Your child and you can, and will, have a great school year if you keep the focus squarely on what matters—your child(ren) and their education.

What follows is some practical advice to help you and your child keep your focus and rediscover the very real joy that comes with the opening of the school year and the learning that will occur. From there, we’ll take a quick look at the districts in Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania and Stafford.

Helping Your Child to Learn

Whether your child is entering public school for the first time, or preparing for that all-important senior year, every parent can help their student have a successful year by following three principles:

• Let them explore
• Let them fail
• Let them be themselves

Let Them Explore

“The more that you read, the more things you will know, the more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” —Dr. Seuss

Children are natural-born explorers. It’s in their DNA, and the key to their education lay in cultivating that natural inquisitiveness. There are two simple things every parent can do that will help children nurture their desire to explore in school.

Get to know the teacher. Teachers are your child’s expedition leaders, and it’s important that you take an interest in them and support their work. Teachers who are fully certified are likely to have a clear idea of where they’re headed and the many ways that parents can help. Find out what those are. Provisionally licensed teachers are often strong in curricular knowledge, but still learning the ropes of helping young minds to learn. Get to know their needs, and offer to help in any way they need.

Don’t become test-obsessed. Testing is a reality of public education, but don’t allow test anxiety to drive you and your child’s relationship with his or her teacher. Keep your focus on the expedition, and view tests as an opportunity to demonstrate what you know. It’s a minor shift in attitude that can pay large dividends.

Let Them Struggle

“If it’s all about winning, you’re undervaluing the potential of [education] and the value of the work.”
– Ben Gucciardi

It’s difficult to struggle, and it’s more difficult to watch a child struggle. But struggling is essential to gaining an education that will benefit your child long after they’ve graduated. When students are struggling, very often it’s because they’re being pushed into situations they’re unfamiliar with. Learning how to handle the adversity and succeed (even if “success” means a grade of C or B, and not an A) better equips him or her to handle the more complex challenges that await. Here are two simple steps to dealing with struggle.

1.     Don’t ignore the problem. Procrastination is often caused not by laziness, but fear. When your child is putting off assignments, or making excuses to not do them, there’s a good chance it’s because they’re struggling to understand what is happening in class. Don’t ignore the problem. Instead:

2.     Listen, and start a dialog. It’s important to really listen to what your students are saying. Learning to listen to their struggles without judgment will help you better appreciate what they’re feeling, and help you to know how to deal with it. Then start a dialog with your child. Understand why something is hard, and what you can do to help. As important, reach out to the teacher and work together to find a solution.

Let Them Be Themselves

“This above all: to thine own self be true / And it must follow, as the night the day / Thou canst not then be false to any man/Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!”
- Hamlette Act I, Scene III

In my many years of teaching, coaching, and writing about teaching, I’ve come to appreciate how much kids want people to support them and their interests. That can be hard because we all have differing visions of what success looks like. Here are a couple of ideas for supporting your children.

1.     Avoid comparing. From Apgar scores at birth to first step and first words, parents naturally want to compare notes. But in school, keep the focus on your child. Each child truly is unique and grows at different rates. Give them the freedom to grow at their pace—not someone else’s.

2.     Support their interests. Whatever interests your child pursues, support them. Even when those interests aren’t your own. Wherever their interests take them, follow along. And learn together.

SCHOOL DISTRICT PROFILES

Fredericksburg City Schools

A small, urban school district, Fredericksburg City Schools struggled pre-pandemic with test scores. However, under new Superintendent Marci Catlett, the district realized significant improvement in SOL performance from the 2021-22 school year, to the 2022-23 school year. Catlett has also sharpened teacher focus on student achievement, built community support for the system through her Superintendent’s Roundtable, and led the charge to build a much-needed new middle school. Though much work remains, FCS is moving in a positive direction. 

Q&A With Superintendent Marci Catlett

FP: What is your greatest challenge coming into the year?

MC: Our greatest challenge is to build on our academic growth and continue to meet the individual needs of each student, which includes closing the achievement gap in a safe and nurturing environment. We also acknowledge the critical need for recruiting, retaining, and compensating teachers and staff.

FP: What is your district's greatest strength?

MC: Our greatest strength is that we work together as a community - school board, city council, admin. team, faculty, staff, students, families, and community partners- to collaborate, celebrate our diversity, and achieve the common mission of providing a high-quality education to each student.  Our greatest strength is also that, as a small division, we continuously work at allocating resources towards the betterment of all school programs. We are action oriented.

FP: What do you want parents returning to your district, or entering for the first time, to know?

MC: We love our students.  We consider them our "why;" our students are the center of all our decision-making processes, and we want our parents to be active partners in our amazing and robust support systems. 

Critical Data

Number of Students - 3815, Pre-K through 12

Number of FULLY CERTIFIED Teachers-214

Number of Provisionally Certified Teachers-60

Number of Unfilled Teaching Positions- 8-10

Percentage of Low-income Students - 56%

Special Education Coordinator for District with Contact Information

Maris Wyatt, Ed.S

Director of Special Education

1-540-372-1127 ext 2556

Instructional Coordinator for District  with Contact Information

Lori Bridi

Chief Academic Officer

1-540-372-1127 ext 2583

Stafford County Public Schools

The largest school district in the area, Stafford County Public Schools are facing issues related to funding and overcrowding. However, the system also enjoys an enviable track record on state testing and school accreditation. The district is also an innovator in career technical education.  

Visit the VDOE’s School Quality Profiles to Learn more: https://schoolquality.virginia.gov/divisions/stafford-county-public-schools

Q&A with Superintendent Thomas Taylor

FP: What is your greatest challenge coming into the year?  
TT: We are facing tremendous growth with an aging infrastructure and an underfunded budget. We need greater support from our local and state legislature to build schools and provide adequate funding to support programs that provide meaningful, real-world opportunities for our students in a safe and supportive environment. Right now, Stafford ranks 111/132 in funding. This is plain and simply a disservice to our learning community.

FP: What is your district's greatest strength?

TT: We have incredible teachers, staff, and families who care deeply about student success. Our staff is committed to ensuring every child receives a quality education that properly prepares them for life after high school. We take the time to build relationships with our families and students through open, transparent communication that allows us to chart the best path of success for each student as a unified learning team.

FP: What do you want parents returning to your district, or entering for the first time, to know

TT: Stafford is a great place to live, work, and learn. We are committed to providing innovative opportunities for student and staff achievement, and we are constantly evaluating and implementing programs, ideas, and practices that inspire and empower everyone in our learning community to excel. We value Students, Integrity, Community, Opportunity, Excellence, and Respect - which means that even though we are a large division, we work hard to retain our small division feel. Everyone who comes to Stafford is known by name, and never treated as a number.

Critical Data

 Number of Students - 31,000

Number of FULLY CERTIFIED Teachers/Number of Provisionally Certified Teachers - Among all currently employed teachers, 1695 (78%) are fully licensed, 297 (14%) are provisionally licensed, 50 (2%) have applications presently pending at VDOE, and the remainder (6%) we are awaiting full licensure application materials to submit to VDOE. It is important to also to note that  "provisionally licensed" can mean a wide range of things, including something as simple as having completed an out of state teacher preparation program and needing to take the VCLA exam (a Virginia specific assessment) or one additional course that is required by Virginia for licensure but not by your home state.

Number of Unfilled Teaching Positions - We have approximately 120 teaching vacancies presently.

Percentage of Low-income Students - In FY23, approximately 45% of our student population was economically disadvantaged.

Special Education Coordinator for District 

Please direct all inquiries to Superintendent Taylor

Instructional Coordinator for District 

Please direct all inquiries to Superintendent Taylor

Spotsylvania County Public Schools

Following a decade-long trajectory of improvements that made Spotsylvania one of the better school districts in the area, the system has fell into turmoil. In November 2021 the school board fell into the hands of a majority that has focused on culture wars. It promptly fired a distinguished and well-liked superintendent without cause, and replaced him with Mark Taylor, an individual who has no background in education, but does have personal ties to then-school board chair Kirk Twigg.  

Since the transition, the central office has undergone significant turnover, losing decades of institutional knowledge and experience. The superintendent and majority board members have refused to talk with established legacy media sources, and have similarly refused to answer emails from many parents, fellow board members who make up the minority, and other public school stakeholders. Board meetings have become a focus of national ridicule, with board members talking over one another, and walking away from the dais when parents they dislike are speaking in public comments.

This fall, four board seats are up for grabs, and the movement to strip the majority of power is already heating up.

Fred Parent reached out to Spotsylvania County Public Schools several times and asked them the same questions, and requested the same information, that we requested and received from Fredericksburg and Stafford public schools.

Spotsylvania County Public Schools made the decision to not respond.