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Seven Giles County Technology Center students have earned first place in a state-level competition for the national Real World Design Challenge, and will head to the national event in March.

Gov. Tim Kaine called to congratulate them this morning, and actually ended up breaking the news.

Instructor Sandra Kelley said she had no idea until Kaine's call.  Twenty-eight teams from across Virginia's high schools competed in the contest, including the Southwest Virginia Governor's School.

Teams were given an airplane fusselodge and asked to design the most fuel-efficient way for it to fly.

You can read more about the students and their creation in next week's Current.

Next week, the U.S. Senate will take up the $819 billion  "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009."  that passed last night through the house.

The House Bill outlines a investment to education over two years, designed to boost programs such as early childhood education, construction, technology and charter schools.

The New River Valley looks to bring in about $11.9 million, according to a preliminary breakdown from the House Appropriations Committee. Two-year totals for each of the valley's divisions are:

• Montgomery County - $ 5,074,700
• Radford City -$ 600,800
• Giles County - $ 1,525,200
• Pulaski County - $ 3,512,400
• Floyd County - $ 1,206,200

You can see a complete list of Virginia's share here.

What is your take on the stimulus? Where do you think the money should go?

Five Pulaski County schools top the list of the most polluted schools in the state, according to a special report from USA Today.

Newbern and Dublin elementaries, Pulaski High and Middle and the Southwest Virginia Governor's School each is listed among the top 10 most polluted. Other nearby schools on the list include McHarg Elementary in Radford City and Belview Elementary in Montgomery County.

And, Just 174 other schools nationally  have  a worse outside air quality than Newbern, the study showed.

The newspaper used a model from the Environmental Protection Agency to track the highest industrial pollution. Data indicated that the air outside  Newbern had one of the highest levels of dangerous toxic chemicals, most of which have never been tested for their effects on children.

A University of Virginia study has found that as much as $17 million in state money given to public education could have been misallocated because of incorrect student census reporting.

State law says that 1.125 percent of tax and sales receipts are supposed to be given to school districts based on the number of students they have.

Most school districts report that data based on a survey done every three years.  In a mailing this summer, residents in Montgomery County were asked to identify the number of school-aged children they had.

Researchers at the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at UVa.  compared their own population estimates with the 2005 census figures reported by 98 of the state's 132 school divisions -- including Giles, Floyd and Pulaski counties -- and found that the way the data is culled varies widely.

Researches excluded localities with colleges, including Montgomery County and Radford City.

The third options they explore is to appoint their center to provide annual estimates of the school-age population using annual population and other estimates.

Using that formula, some New River Valley school districts would receive more state dollars, but others would dip a bit.

Floyd County reported 2,517 students and received about $1.9 million, whereas the researchers found the county had 2,907 students and should have received about $2.1 million.  Giles County schools offiicials would get $2.287,710 for the 3,107 students as opposed to $2.3 for 3,074 students. In Pulaski, schools would get $4.3 million for 5.959 students under the school's study. It received $4.5 million for 5,905 students, according to the traditional method.

"By comparing our population estimates with the counts reported by the school divisions, we found that four school divisions counted accurately, 27 reported too many children (and thus got too much money) and 67 reported too few children (getting too little money)," said researcher Susan Perrone said. "Martinsville reported 575 more children than we would have expected, and Portsmouth reported 5,072 too few. As a result of under- and over-counting across the state, the amount allocated ranged from $582 to $928 per child.”

The study has been handed to school leaders and is expected to be given to state lawmakers, the Associated Press said.

Kindergartners would start learning about fractions and count to 100, while fifth-graders would start working on linear equations, according to proposed changes to Virginia's Math Standards of Learning.

The state's Board of Education is looking for comments on the revisions. On Monday, a public hearing is scheduled at Pulaski High School. It starts at 7 p.m.

Right now, the state has no timeline for when the changes would come forth.

According to research from the University of Chicago (which, as a side note, is well known for its education research), special education teachers are in the top 10 of happiest jobs.

The teachers are No. 5 on a list of jobs in the ""Job Satisfaction in the United States" study that's been smattered in the news today. As far as I can tell, the study is about a year old, though.

Either way, here's what they have to say:

Special education teachers
Job Description: Teach school subjects to educationally and physically handicapped students.

Very happy: 52.6%
Median salary (preschool, kindergarten or elementary school): $41,344
Median salary (secondary school): $43,060

This seems to fly in the face of local concerns that have special education teachers over their workloads and pay.

So, special education teachers, set the record straight.

Are you happy with your jobs? What makes it great, and what leaves something to be desired?

Shortly after reading the story in today's paper about Roanoke students discussing what Barack Obama should focus on, I ran across this.

It's a report on at least one school district in Colorado that asked its teachers to stay mum on politics, and steer from supporting candidates' campaigns.

It made me think about all the times I saw Montgomery school board members Penny Franklin and Phyllis Albritton sporting Obama badges and the number of mock elections held at schools across the valley. Teachers I talked to there said the election was, and will continue to be, a teaching tool for them.

And, I suspect,  with the inaguration coming right after the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday  (as a friend pointed out) and Black History Month the following month, lessons will abound.

What do you think? Teachers, what discussions or lessons are you having in class? Parents, what does the election mean for dinner time topics?

All of the New River Valley's schools in Montgomery, Pulaski, Giles and Floyd counties and Radford City are fully accredited, according to a list just released from the Virginia Department of Education.

You can read more about the accreditation in tomorrow's paper.

In the meantime, take a look at a news release the state has sent out.

As an education reporter I wish I could touch on every topic that impacts students, their parents, educators and taxpayers, but sometimes things fall through the cracks.

Alas, while writing this story about proposed revisions to education law, I realized I'd missed reporting on changes planned in special education

Virginia's state school board is meeting today and it expected to approve the changes.

In my inbox this morning is an e-mail from the Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension about school bullying.

This comes on the heels of a story in the Current last week about Montgomery County's approach, Olweus Bullying Prevention Program and a visit from presenter Jay Banks.

The extension's take? Talk to kids, whether they are the bullies or the bullied. And, don't encourage retaliation.

Here's what they have say:

"One of the most important things a parent can do to address bullying is to talk to their child about the issue, regardless of whether they think he or she is the victim of bullying or exhibiting bullying behavior," said Crystal Tyler-Mackey, a community viability specialist in Extension's Southeast District. "Most schools have a bullying policy, and parents need to familiarize themselves with their child's school policy on the matter."

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