Virginia Preschool Initiative Plus (VPI+)

As part of the federal Preschool Development Grant (PDG), the US Department of Education awarded the state of Virginia with a $17.5 million expansion grant annually to fund a project called Virginia Preschool Initiative Plus (VPI+). This grant will allow the Commonwealth to serve over 13,000 at-risk four-year-olds in new or improved high quality classrooms over four years.

As part of this initiative, the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning consults on the implementation of professional development and coaching in participating school districts. Teachers in VPI+ school divisions are getting access to individualized professional development on critical topics such as classroom interactions and environments, content area practice, formative assessment, and individualized instruction. Each school division has hired coaches who are working closely with teachers on ensuring that every child has access to the types of interactions and learning experiences that we know promote learning and development. CASTL provides ongoing technical assistance and professional development for VPI+ coaches.  

CASTL also uses data collected across participating VPI+ classrooms  to inform changes at the program-, teacher-, and classroom-levels. 

Finally, CASTL is responsible for the development of the VPI+ website, which offers preschool teachers access to a carefully vetted selection of available teacher videos and resources.

Project Status: April 2015 – Present

Funding Source: US Department of Education, Federal Preschool Development Grant (PDG)

Principal Investigator: Ann Lhospital

Partners: Virginia Department of Education

Website: http://www.vpiplus.org