The Academic Year Governor’s Schools (AYGS) in Virginia are a flagship initiative within Virginia’s menu of options for advanced learners. The first four AYGS programs were established in 1985, following a decade of service by summer Governor’s Schools at three sites (Stith, 2017). Since then, the field has grown to 19 AYGS programs, across a wide variety of formats and curricula (VDOE, 2022). These schools represent the highest rigor and selectivity in the portfolio of advanced options in the Commonwealth.

The AYGS model as it is currently operated meets many standards of excellence as articulated in scholarship on advanced academics. There is, however, always room for growth, both figurative and literal. This study of Virginia Academic Year Governor’s Schools, therefore, is both timely and responsible. For this study, researchers interviewed each of the 19 AYGS directors, as well as a sample of program alumni and regional board chairs, looking for recommended practices and obstacles to program access. In addition, the authors deployed a survey that garnered nearly 1,200 responses from students, parents, school employees and administrators, school board members, and members of the community.

This Executive Summary is intended as a snapshot of the comprehensive report. It is offered in three sections. The first concisely addresses the meaningful themes and concerns that emerged over the course of the study. These are what the authors believe to be the most powerful points of leverage for improving service and access. The second section offers specific answers to the research questions originally articulated by the Virginia Department of Education in their request for this research. The final section is a reduced list of concrete recommendations from the research team, by way of addressing the issues raised in the first sections, and further explicated in the comprehensive report.

Broader Themes

The guiding documents for this study of AYGS in Virginia posited seven specific questions, and those questions are directly addressed in the third section of this executive summary. In pursuit of those questions, however, several cross-categorical themes emerged from the data. These themes are offered here as important context.

The Distinguishing Advantage of a Governor’s School is the Community of Learners

A consistent theme among most respondents was the value of an AYGS education beyond the advanced coursework being delivered. While AYGS programs are essential in providing such coursework for divisions with fewer resources, this benefit was considerably overshadowed by the stakeholder focus on bringing these learners together as a critical outcome. In addition to training students in universal skills and dispositions, such as collaboration and critical thought, there was a consistent emphasis on the value of the AYGS as a community of learners. Stakeholders frequently provided a picture of safe community and mutual identity for students who often feel alone in their home schools, which is especially important for adolescent development. This principle is codified in the VDOE protocols for the creation of a Governor’s School, and it needs to be a fundamental consideration in the development of new programs and support of existing ones.

Existing Programs Need Attention First

There is broad support across stakeholders for the provision of new AYGS programs in the Commonwealth, and for the funding of more student slots within existing programs. However, there is a complementary awareness in the same stakeholders that existing programs need more adequate support before growing further. Equitable access is not just about increasing the number of available seats; it is also currently impacted by the factors indicated below.

1. Transportation is a Fundamental Concern

Transportation issues were indicated in the majority of existing AYGS programs. If there are buses, the travel time and scheduling are often prohibitive for students at a distance. Students often drive themselves, which introduces both risk and an inherent socioeconomic disparity in terms of car availability. These issues might be addressed in several ways, including more funding for buses and more campuses in different parts of the region.

2. Selection of Participants is a Division Responsibility

Participating school divisions typically take responsibility for selecting students to participate, and the AYGS serves whichever students it receives. While existing AYGS programs are now required to report on demographic representation in their student body, most of them hold very little power to improve representation due to their absence from the selection process at the division level. Several existing AYGS sites work in tandem with their feeder schools to inform the selection process, allowing them to better identify and select the students who will benefit from their service.

3. Early Awareness and Talent Development Improve Community Access

The lack of diversity in Governor’s Schools is due, in part, to inadequate talent development opportunities for underserved students in their earlier education. Several directors commented on the need to provide better educational experiences for advanced learners in elementary and middle school, a recommended best practice by scholars in advanced academics. Earlier programming could help diminish readiness gaps in primary grades, improve awareness of AYGS programming among potential participants, and help inform students on taking courses necessary for admission.

A Universal Approach Will Not Work

All nineteen AYGS programs in Virginia are deeply regional in nature, created across a span of nearly forty years, in a variety of contexts and in response to local community needs. They serve deeply divergent populations in a variety of formats, all of which are, to a great degree, successful in offering appropriate instruction to the students they serve. They range in size from approximately 35 to slightly over 1,800 students, and they teach everything from physical chemistry to modern dance. They are urban, suburban, and rural; full-time and parttime; comprehensive and tightly focused. Across this diversity, the programs were reliably clever and cost-efficient in evaluating and responding to changing student needs, even under their particular financial and logistical constraints.

While the autonomy under which they have operated may have come at the cost of more robust financial support from the Commonwealth, it has resulted in a portfolio of distinct programs with individual strategies for success. As a result of this, it seems probable that any requirement applied wholesale to all AYGS programs is likely to serve some and hinder others, and therefore needs to be carefully considered. All AYGS programs seem bound by broad goals of appropriate education for all students, the development of community among students and staff, and equity of opportunity for a changing society. However, individual programs need to be allowed freedom and support to pursue those goals by discerning regional needs and adapting to local context.

Responses to VDOE Research Questions

Listed below are the research questions provided by the Virginia Department of Education in response to the call by the Virginia General Assembly for “a report to inform the Virginia Department of Education (Department) regarding the potential development of additional successful Academic Year Governor’s School Options to increase access for the students of the Commonwealth of Virginia."

1. Study the existing levels of support at/for current Academic Year Governor’s Schools

The AYGS clearly enjoy strong support from their stakeholders. They are seen as valuable and effective programs, providing for the academic needs of the Commonwealth’s high ability students. The data suggest that while there is overall support for AYGS as a valuable option for these students and for their role in supporting advanced academic development, concerns among the stakeholders exist regarding the availability of trained teachers and the provision of resources.

Stakeholders considered the community-building goals of AYGS to be important and those describing their specific schools strongly believed their AYGS was effective in building a community of learners. There were some concerns about the lack of cultural diversity and the need for additional mental health support, especially due to the challenging pedagogy. However, positive feedback was common regarding the AYGS commitment to community building and the resulting positive effect on dealing with academic pressure.

2. Study the need and demand for additional Academic Year Governor's Schools programs, including access and regional diversity in the Commonwealth’s eight Superintendent region

The support for additional AYGS programs was robust, but this result must be seen in the light of the possible interpretations of this question. Several existing AYGS sites have expanded into multiple curricular foci, for example supplementing a historic science track with a new sequence in humanities. Development in this regard was seen by respondents in a very positive light. Directors, alumni, and survey respondents also saw wisdom in developing more campuses within the administrative purview of existing AYGS programs. This sort of development could mitigate transportation concerns and allow for more seats if sufficient funding were present, but the risk of unnecessarily diluting or dividing existing communities of students would need to be managed. The creation of entirely new schools, with new administration and facilities, received mixed comments.

3. Study the need and demand for additional slots at existing Academic Year Governor’s School programs

Stakeholders strongly supported additional available slots in existing programs, and they provided a number of necessary considerations when growing programs. The access challenges indicated above in the section on broader themes will reduce the potential benefit of additional slots unless they are addressed. In addition, the majority of existing AYGS programs are currently at or near the full physical capacity, requiring support for additional facilities and faculty. Finally, providing additional slots will only result in greater access if participating divisions are encouraged and empowered to fund more students for participation.

4. Study potential costs and timelines for implementation of new Academic Year Governor’s School programs

There is a sense among study participants that the current funding model for existing AYGS programs is inadequate, and that implementation of new programs needs to include the appropriate support of existing programs. This position is supported by the historic commissioning of two reports, in 2014 and 2016, on potential improvements to the funding system. To avoid propagating existing problems, cost estimates for new programs should not be approximated on the basis of the current funding model. This being said, there is immediate demand for expansion of service. There are several successful AYGS models in operation (e.g., community college partnership, distributed service to participating schools) that could be ready templates for new sites without requiring the delay and expense of new construction. It is the position of the research team, however, that efforts would preferably be made to stabilize and supplement funding to existing programs before creating new ones. An invitation can then be made to existing directors and regional boards, who can determine the plausibility of increasing the number of students served by their particular schools. If the AYGS funding model were improved, directors seem poised to creatively problem solve an expansion of service.

5. Study the areas of focus provided in the varying models of Academic Year Governor’s Schools and the potential demand for additional areas of focus

When discussing the curricular focus, though the participants generally appreciated the focus areas of their respective AYGS programs, there was clearly an expressed desire for additional focus areas or broader curricula to cater to a wider range of student interests. The participants mostly valued the opportunities for advanced learning, and the strong academic foundations provided. However, they also highlighted the importance of diversification of the curricular focus, promoting non-STEM fields, enhancing technical and hands-on learning, and increasing awareness of available choices. Participants noted that the students of their regions often did not have the option for courses that are contemporary with the changing world. These insights emphasize the need for flexibility and diverse offerings to meet the needs and interests of students and communities.

6. Study the environments that support students in varying models of Academic Year Governor’s Schools (Full Day, Shared-time, Virtual, or Residential)

The AYGS programs exist in different models. Three are full time, 16 share time with base schools in their region and one of these offers virtual coursework with some in-person meetings. One school, Governor’s School for the Arts, shares time with a base school, but students still take a full day of classes at the GS. There are presently no residential AYGS in Virginia. Shared-time models offer reduced costs to operate, student access to core and elective courses and extracurriculars at the base school, and a connection to the student’s base school community in addition to their AYGS community of learners. The transportation required for shared-time programs that do not take place in the base school is disruptive, and schedules may interfere with opportunities (academic and social) at either school. Full-time AYGS programs provide all the features of a traditional school, and students have more time for advanced learning and to build community with other AYGS students and faculty. Travel time for both models may be extreme for students at distant parts of the region served.

Nearly a third of all stakeholders responding supported the idea of all AYGS being fulltime, but many felt the shared-time model was best for students. Parents tended to be strongly in favor of full-time options for their children. Students tended to be less in favor of full-time options, due to workload concerns and the loss of their base school community. Virtual options are effective in serving students who live too far from advanced academic opportunities, when there is a lack of qualified teachers in the region, or when enrollment would be too low to support an advanced course. The majority of respondents were opposed to the virtual model of AYGS, citing a lack of rigor, an inability to have hands-on activities, students’ inability to learn as effectively as in person, and, primarily, the lack of social interaction in virtual courses.

7. Study whether virtual resources through the Department of Education could be better leveraged to expand access to Academic Year Governor’s School courses.

Coursework is only one facet of the Academic Year Governor’s School. There are other integral components, including the Community of Learners as an organizational concept underpinning AYGS programs, and the broader curricular focus. Using virtual resources to expand access to AYGS courses could eliminate these two components of a student’s experience, diminishing program effectiveness. Therefore, it is not recommended that students outside the AYGS program gain access to the courses. Courses taught at a similar advanced level as some AYGS courses could be offered through Virtual Virginia (VVA), if developed and taught by highly trained teachers familiar with best practice in working with high-ability students, especially in a virtual environment. Virtual options may be leveraged to reach young students with exceptional potential in underserved populations, helping to prepare students with potential at early grades to ensure a diverse pool of highly qualified applicants to the AYGS in high school.

Summary of Recommendations

1. In all policy decisions regarding AYGS programs, recognize the expertise, community connection, and student-centered executive action of AYGS directors. Provide professional development for directors and their staff and facilitate a community of practice for them to interact and more effectively collect institutional wisdom.

2. Recognize that access and participation are best increased by addressing the entire system of obstacles that confronts students and their families. Focusing attention on a single challenge, such as the number of AYGS program available, will not help while other constraints persist.

3. Support additional sites or schools, including consideration of full-time or residential programming if directors deem it appropriate. Expanded virtual options may serve these students to some degree, but they do not provide the social interactions and hands-on instructional experiences that are core to the AYGS model.

4. Revise the Regulations Governing Educational Services for Gifted Students to incorporate a talent development program to assist in providing early educational opportunities, shaping a more diverse pool of qualified future AYGS applicants.

5. Revisit completed research on the strengths and weaknesses of the AYGS funding model as it currently operates. The nature of regional programming makes it difficult to deliver the instruction to which AYGS staff aspire, and the current funding model results in fundamental inequities between staff in these programs and those in regular K-12 schools.

6. Create a pool of funds specifically to address transportation issues, as these are ubiquitous and powerful obstacles to AYGS students, particularly from underrepresented populations. Allow directors the freedom to apply those funds in a way that best serves their school and geography.

7. Examine and support the provision of adequate personnel at all AYGS to provide for the mental health and well-being of their students.  

8. Provide state support for initiatives that improve awareness of, and recruitment for, AYGS programs. Engage community stakeholders from diverse populations to provide most relevant service and increase participation.