Video Setup Tears Down Class Walls

Interactive Lessons Available from Afar

Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008

Two dozen fifth-graders watched intently as a musical trio explained the basics of jazz on a big screen at Potowmack Elementary School this week. Chins in hands, they appeared engaged in an activity many fifth-graders are good at: watching television. Read story and 1 comment »

'Tango' Touches Off Library Dispute

Saturday, Feb. 16, 2008

A children’s book about two male penguins that hatch and parent a chick was pulled from library shelves in Loudoun County elementary schools this month after a parent complained that it promoted a gay agenda. Read story »

Through the Eyes of a First-Grader

Elementary School Teacher Reaches Out to Diverse Classroom

Monday, Feb. 11, 2008

It's a few minutes past 7 a.m. and Ceci Albecker is in her Guilford Elementary School classroom in Sterling. She's at her desk going over her day's game plan, a list that reminds her just where she and her 18 first-graders left off when yesterday's school day ended -- and what's on tap for today. Read story »

Smart's Mill Science Teacher Wins Award

Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2008

Patricia Herr, an eighth-grade science teacher at Smart's Mill Middle School, received the Agnes Meyer Award at Tuesday's school board meeting in Ashburn. Read story »

8 Loudoun Schools Win Excellence Award

Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008

Eight Loudoun County public schools were among more than 30 schools in Northern Virginia and 89 statewide on Thursday to win a governor's award for excellence through a new state rating known as the Virginia Index of Performance. Read story and 1 comment »

For Children, a Head Start On the Road to Fitness

Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008

After a long day of math drills and science lessons at Sugarland Elementary School, 10-year-old Jacob Wilson likes to hit the gym. There, he vents a little bit of stress while pumping iron and sweating on an elliptical trainer. Read story and 1 comment »

County to Require Seat Belts on New School Buses

Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2008

From now on, every school bus that Loudoun County buys will be equipped with a safety feature missing from most school vehicles in the Washington area: seat belts. Read story and 5 comments »

Students Take Quicker Steps to Literacy

Program Targets Achievement Gaps

Sunday, Dec. 23, 2007

Two dozen first-graders in a Leesburg classroom recently sorted through laminated paper squares on their desks, arranging red squares printed with consonants and blue ones stamped with vowels until they spelled a word: T-H-E-R-E. Read story »

Fauquier Elementary School’s Principal Honored

Sunday, Dec. 2, 2007

When Joy Seward moved to Fauquier County 16 years ago, one of the reasons she began working for the public school system was to be on the same schedule as her two children. Read story »

Saving? It’s Elementary, My Dear.

Children Deposit Allowance as Branch Bank Opens at School

Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007

Eight-year old Mackenzie Dorsey stopped by the gymnasium at Potowmack Elementary School in Sterling recently to open a bank account before heading to her third-grade class. Read story »

Lingering Academic Gap Riles NAACP

Black and Hispanic Students Demand Attention, NAACP Says

Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2007

In one of the wealthiest counties in the country, minority advocates are urging the Loudoun County School Board to redouble efforts and resources to boost achievement of black and Hispanic students to the level of their white classmates. Read story and 6 comments »

His Songs Make the Whole Class Sing

Guitar Riffs and Catchy Lyrics Help Va. Kids Learn

Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007

The red plastic ON AIR sign is always lit in Eric Chandler’s second-grade class, where a simple question about subtraction could elicit a rock performance styled after the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Read story »

Mixed-Level Classes Promote Teamwork, Ease Transition

Monday, Oct. 15, 2007

Inez Lemmert, a sixth-grade teacher, motioned toward a tall boy hunched over a thick novel. He was among her students with learning disabilities. But in recent weeks, he had asked for honors-level work and had thrived on the challenge.Read story »

County Lags In Referrals For Special Education

Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007

The percentage of Loudoun County students referred for special education services is below the average for the state and neighboring counties, according to a report presented to the School Board by a special education advisory committee Tuesday night. Read story »