Impact: Virgin Islands

Regional Impact

Virgin Islands

Virgin Island Newsletter Stories

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	Virgin Islands DOE, REL-NEI Raise Profile on Dropout Problem (April 2010) On February 9th, U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) policymakers, school principals, law enforcement officers, community leaders, and high-school students came together at the University of the Virgin Islands to discuss research-based approaches to reducing the territory’s high-school dropout rate.
	Taking on Dropouts in the U.S. Virgin Islands: Q & A with Governing Board Member La Verne Terry (April 2010) Dr. La Verne Terry moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands in January 2008 to become Commissioner of Education. An educator for more than 30 years, she served as assistant superintendent and chief academic officer in Delaware’s largest public-school system and then deputy superintendent and chief academic officer of Hartford Public Schools. Her experience working in large, urban districts informs her work with the 15,000 students and two districts on three Virgin Islands, where education issues can be similar, despite the island geography.
	Connecting to Practice: REL-NEI Liaisons Take to the Road in 2009! (Jan/Feb 2010) In 2009, REL-NEI state liaisons and researchers participated at more than 40 education-related conferences and meetings across the Northeast and Islands Region, often staffing booths and providing overviews of REL-NEI.
	Sandra Espada-Santos: Bridging REL-NEI, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands (Jul/Aug 2009) Both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands face education issues that are similar to those on the mainland, such as accountability to No Child Left Behind (NCLB), but that also are significantly different. Sandra Espada-Santos, REL-NEI’s liaison to these two island jurisdictions, believes it is her role to explore and explain these issues within the larger context of the Northeast and Islands Region.
	REL-NEI Researchers Consult to Massachusetts, Virgin Islands (May/Jun 2009) REL-NEI researchers provide research support to state education departments across the Northeast and Islands Region on a range of education topics and issues. This is a summary of recent technical assistance projects.
	Data Agreement Signed with Virgin Islands; All SEAs Now Share Student-Level Data (Mar/Apr 2009) REL-NEI last month secured a data-access agreement with the Virgin Islands Department of Education (VIDE), speeding up the process for researchers to obtain student-level data for their research studies. With the VIDE contract signed, REL-NEI has successfully negotiated data agreements with all nine states and jurisdictions in the Northeast and Island Region.