Agency Dataset: Department of Social Services, Virginia Employment Commission

Employment and earnings instability is common, particularly among low-income families, and can interfere with child-care arrangements. This study uses longitudinal administrative data from 2016 to 2019 to examine associations between household child-care subsidy receipt and parents’ earnings and employment outcomes. Parental employment and earnings increased in the quarters following initial subsidy receipt, which then became stable. We find that working parents experienced increased job and earnings stability but worked multiple jobs while receiving subsidies. Findings highlight the importance of child-care subsidies for the employment outcomes of low-income families.

Agency Dataset: Department of Education

This population-based study explored students' participation in advanced coursework in elementary schools (gifted/talented programs), middle schools (Algebra I+), and high schools (Advanced Placement) to address enrollment equity. The study identified demographic disparities and the intersectionality of multiple identities to achieve two research aims: 1) to explore how advanced course-taking varies by student demographics, and 2) to understand how disparities in advanced course-taking vary by student demographics and intersectional identities. The findings indicate that disparities in advanced course-taking are related to students’ race, ethnicity, disability status, English learner (EL) status, socioeconomic status, as well as the intersection of these variables.

Agency Dataset: Department of Education

This study examined how teacher retention and mobility changed after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teacher same-school retention rates increased to 82.6% following the closure of all schools in March 2020, the highest rate observed over the ten years analyzed, but then dropped to 78.9% following the reopening year (SY 2020-21), the lowest rate observed. The Spring 2021 decrease in teacher retention was due to a substantial increase in teacher departures and a moderate increase in teacher transfers. 10.8% of teachers departed after Spring 2021, and 8.2% of teachers transferred to teach in a different school.

Agency Dataset: Department of Education, Department of Social Services

Using VLDS data, this study focuses on link between social program participation (TANF, SNAP, eligible for free/reduced-price school meals) and literacy and phonological awareness skills, attending to variation between programs and by race/ethnicity. The researchers first compare children in households receiving no, and relatively low, medium, and high support, finding literacy and phonological awareness skills are greatest among children that do not participate in any of the three social programs considered, followed by those who are only eligible for free/reduced-price school meals, and then those who participate in SNAP, and finally those who participate in TANF.

Agency Dataset: Department of Education, State Council of Higher Education

The study investigated the issue of diversity in in engineering and computer science (ECS), fields that pay well and promote upward mobility. Drawing on VLDS data, the findings revealed that within each sex, underrepresented racial/ethnic minority groups (URM) students were at least as likely as their non-URM peers to enroll in ECS programs when they scored within similar SAT score ranges. Students were more likely to enroll in ECS programs if their SAT profile favored math, compared to students with similar math and verbal SAT scores (balanced profile).

Agency Dataset: Department of Education

This study used 14 years of state licensure and classroom data from Virginia (via VLDS) to follow 19,878 special education teachers (SETs) who completed either the alternative route (AR) internship or traditional programs. Findings reveal that a greater percentage of SETs of color participated in AR programs compared to traditional licensure programs, while a greater percentage of White SETs completed traditional programs. SETs of color attained approximately three fewer years of service time if they completed the AR program compared to traditional programs. For White SETs, a difference of less than 1 year was found. For SETs from AR programs who did not complete 27 credit hours of university coursework, attrition occurred at higher rates within the first 3 years of service.

Agency Dataset: Department of Education

COVID-19 significantly impacted the educational and home environments for students throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia in ways that may have impacted student learning, as measured by standardized exams. This study analyzes statewide, student-level administrative and assessment data on the Standards of Learning (SOL) reading and math tests for the 2011-12 through 2020-21 school years among students enrolled in grades 3 through 8. There was a substantial reduction—a 29% decrease—in the number of 3rd through 8th grade students who took an SOL test in math and reading in the first post-pandemic onset year for which testing data are available (2020-21). Among test-takers, pass rates declined by 32% in math between the last full pre-pandemic year (2018-19) and the first post-pandemic onset year (2020-21), and by 4% in reading.

Agency Dataset: Department of Social Services, Virginia Employment Commission

Child care subsidies help low-income families purchase child care, but the field lacks recent longitudinal studies of patterns of participation. This study uses 2015-2019 administrative data from Virginia to: 1) examine subsidy program participation and duration in 2019; and 2) examine participation in public assistance programs, including child care subsidies, among a cohort of children born in 2015. Findings indicate that, in 2019, the subsidy program reached relatively few eligible children in Virginia before they entered kindergarten; spells of participation in the subsidy program are brief. Results suggest that participation and stability vary by children’s sex, race, ethnicity, and geography, with males, non-Hispanic white children, and those living in rural areas experiencing higher levels of stability than their counterparts. Findings highlight the importance of additional investment in child care subsidies to reach eligible families and to support stable child care arrangements, key to children’s development and parental employment.

Agency Dataset: Department of Education

The disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic likely impacted families' decisions about whether and where to enroll their children in public schools. The study used longitudinal student enrollment data to track individual students over time throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia to highlight how enrollment changed during the first full school year after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Statewide enrollment in pre-kindergarten through grade 12 dropped by four percent (53,830 students) between the pre-pandemic fall of 2019 and the first post-pandemic onset fall of 2020. Enrollment drops occurred in most grade levels but were concentrated in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. The largest enrollment declines were among White students and students who were not economically disadvantaged.

Agency Dataset: Department of Education

Starting in 2017, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) began requiring students graduating with the Standard diploma to earn a career and technical education (CTE) credential to encourage them to pursue opportunities that enhance their career readiness. This study examined the CTE credentials Virginia high school graduates most commonly earned, and hoe they align to a specific occupation or industry.

Agency Dataset: Department of Education

This study uses a dataset from the Virginia Longitudinal Data System that includes all students who completed high school from a Virginia public school from 2007 to 2014 (N = 685,429). The findings illuminate inequality in enrollment in engineering programs at four-year institutions across high schools by gender, race, and socioeconomic status (and the intersections among those demographics). Different high schools have different engineering enrollment rates among students who attend four-year postsecondary institutions.