CHESAPEAKE, Va. - Gov. Glenn Younkin says his plan to establish public lab schools in Virginia will give students more options to learn and be prepared for a career. This week, his office announced 13 schools are getting state funding to continue planning.
Old Dominion University is getting two of the $200,000 grants.
"It's a deep collaboration between the university and a school," said Karen Sanzo, a professor of educational leadership at ODU and Director of the Brooks Crossing Innovation Lab.
ODU is partnering with Newport News Schools to help prepare students for careers in the maritime industry. In addition, ODU, along with Tidewater Community College, wants to establish a lab school at Oscar Smith Middle School focused on computer science.
"I think it's a wonderful opportunity for us to partner with divisions and I think it's great for kids," said Sanzo.
While other programs statewide may be closer to resembling charter schools, ODU's will involve its students and faculty working with other students in their schools.
"This is flipping the script from perhaps that traditional lab school approach. We'll be embedded in the divisions themselves," said Sanzo.
Norfolk State University is also getting a grant for a lab school focused on literacy. Eastern Shore Community College is partnering with local schools and NASA to help support operations at Wallops Island.
"We're at a pivotal point in education right now," said Sanzo. "We're reimagining how our schools are structured, how are schools are designed, and how we work with students."
Lab schools aren't new in Virginia at the private level, but using $100 million of state funding is.
The Virginia Education Association said the funding isn't currently long-term, creating risks for the colleges and universities down the line.
"We think that's the best way to fund initiatives - to look at the research and decide on what are we going to get the most bang for our dollar rationally improving student outcomes. Lab schools don't have that track record," said Chad Stewart, a policy analyst at VEA.
While they continue to plan, ODU is hoping to open the lab schools in the fall of 2024.
Gov. Youngkin is participating in a town hall in education on Thursday night on CNN at 9 p.m.
