Old Dominion News

In the Center for Education Reform's 2024 Parent Power Index, Virginia secured the thirty-fifth position, with an Overall Parent Power Index Score of 63.4%.

The index, designed to assess the degree of parental power in each state, highlights key indicators such as Choice Programs, Charter Schools and Innovation. 

Virginia scored a 68% in Choice Programs, which represents families' ability to access and choose programs that best fit their needs. 

The state's Charter Schools system, which is based on the availability of alternative educational options for students and families, scored a 50%.

In the final category of Innovation, scored on the state's dedication to fostering creative and personalized learning environments, Virginia earned an 88%.

While Florida claims the top spot with a 93% overall score, states like Arizona, Indiana, Ohio, and North Carolina follow closely behind in the top rankings, emphasizing a national trend towards prioritizing parental involvement in education.

Kansas, South Dakota, and North Dakota round out the bottom of the list along with six other states that received a grade of ‘F’.

The Parent Power Index serves as a valuable resource for families across the country, offering insights into state-level educational policies and opportunities. 

Through the index's interactive map, parents can explore the status of parental empowerment in their state and discover avenues to advocate for greater involvement and choice in education.

"Pulling out of the bottom in 2024's PPI, Virginia jumped 10 spots to rank 35, thanks to the presence of lab schools boosting its charter score a bit, more engagement with and support for parents and a continued commitment to options like the tax credit scholarship program. While the state is still a low scorer for not adopting comprehensive opportunity laws that can impact all communities, entrepreneurial leadership has made a difference," the Parent Power Index notes.

"In the 2023 state elections, hoping to secure enough new allies in the legislature, Governor Youngkin vowed to give parents more power and create new choice programs. But the make-up of the legislature has now shifted to all anti-education choice forces. Nonetheless, his administration has found creative ways to provide more innovative options to families such as through the state’s Lab Schools, microgrants to help parents provide more support to their students and even creating an office of innovation to enable solutions that lead to parent empowerment, personalized learning and a more focused approach to the education of Virginia’s children," Parent Power Index said in its assessment of the state’s “Policy Environment.”