Henrico Times

Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) has made a case for federal funding support for Virginia Commonwealth University’s RTR Teacher Residency program in a letter to the U.S. Department of Education. He highlighted the program's effectiveness in training competent teachers who contribute significantly to Virginia's educational system.

"The RTR program has a proven track record of preparing high quality teachers for the rigors and challenges of instructing and educating students in Virginia," said Congressman Wittman. "Given the recent release of the National Assessment of Educational Progress that showed little progress in math and reading comprehension among elementary and secondary students, it is now more important than ever to ensure that our future educator workforce is well trained and highly skilled."

Since its establishment in 2011, the RTR program has prepared nearly 400 teachers, with 82% continuing to work in their original school districts. Data indicates that students taught by RTR-trained educators score higher on standardized tests, with an increase of 18 points in English and 35 points in math.

In his letter addressed to Secretary Linda McMahon at the United States Department of Education, Wittman expressed his strong support for maintaining funding through a Teacher Quality Partnership grant (S336S240045). The program collaborates with local school districts, including two counties within Wittman's congressional district.

The Department of Education had previously issued a notice of grant award termination due to noncompliance with President Trump’s executive order on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives (EO 14151). Congressman Wittman requested that VCU be allowed to revise their grant application to align with federal policy priorities while continuing oversight.

"It is my hope that the funding for this grant can be repurposed to support an updated RTR program so that it can continue to address the severe teacher shortage and poor student test scores across Virginia," he stated.

Wittman's advocacy underscores ongoing concerns about teacher shortages and student performance issues within Virginia schools.