An article about the various summer programs available to students in Virginia Public Schools was written recently. The school system is to be commended for recognizing the needs of its students and implementing programs that will best serve their needs. But how does a summer program truly meet the needs of the students? Well, the most obvious is that a good summer program keeps the kids of Virginia Schools off the streets and involved in something beneficial. Virginia Sch...

1) Describe how the US court system is structured: The US court system has a dual system operating on federal and state levels. Starting at the bottom of the state level are trial courts of limited jurisdiction. These courts only handle lawsuits for small amount of money, traffic cases, and misdemeanors. The next level up is the trial courts of general offenses.

Virginia Schools recently received national acclaim for some of its successful schools. Newsweek released its list of the top 5% of schools in the nation, and 87 Virginia Schools made the cut. Eleven Virginia Schools made the top 100, and an additional two were included in the list of the “public elites.” Those two were Maggie Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. Both were included becau...

In the spring of 2006, the Virginia schools signed an agreement with SACS CASI. Under this agreement, Virginia schools divisions will be encouraged to pursue accreditation with the Council. The agreement complements Virginia schools already rigorous accreditation standards and will build strong foundations for continued growth in learning and achievement within each school and each school division.

Middle school students attending two Virginia Schools have had the opportunity to meet an award-winning author. Sharon Flake has written a work of fiction about a 13-year-old African American girl who struggles to fit in with her peers. The book, Skin I’m In, has universal appeal to students as well as adults. Kids like those attending Virginia Schools have a great novel to read that conveys an even greater message – to be happy with who you are; and Virginia Schools students...

Previously, the Virginia schools were required to test, under the No Child Left Behind Act, many of its children with disabilities in reading, math and science, regardless of their ability to do so. Unless they were severely disabled, the children had to take state-required tests for their grade level — whether or not they had the skills and understanding. Thus, many of these special students failed the tests. Testing grades were third, eighth and 11th on an annual basis. ...

Over the years, the Virginia schools (like many school systems across the nation) have been losing their public school students to home schooling. Henry County, for example, has seen an increase in home-schooled students from eight to 99 over the past 11 years. In April 1999, the nation watched in horror the news reports on Colorado’s Columbine High School shootings, where 12 students and one teacher were fatally shot and 24 others were wounded by two teens who then killed...

The Commonwealth of Virginia and Governor Timothy M. Kaine have for some time been encouraging Virginia Schools high school students to take more rigorous coursework. The Governor recently announced the pilot Commonwealth Scholars Program and promotional campaign to underscore this commitment to excellence in Virginia’s youth.

Court Reporters are a fascinating bunch. I always wonder how they stay under control despite all the things that happen around them in the court of law. As the parades of witnesses come and go, you can see them pound away or talk into the equipments that help them do their jobs. It is obvious very few people pay attention or understand the equipments that help court reporters perform their jobs so efficiently. In this article, I examine these equipments. The court repor...

In 1789, the founders of the Constitution set out the power of the
Supreme Court in Article III section 2, and, arguably, in the
Supremacy clause in Article 6. These clauses gave the Supreme Court
the power to protect the Constitution, and by doing so, the power to
protect civil liberties.