We were thrilled to see two very kind comments on Twitter recently from a local school official. Pete Gretz, superintendent of Middlesex County Public Schools, posted about how much he enjoyed the services and resources that WHRO Public Media provides.

What a tremendous partner we have in @WHRO and the HRTETA consortium, the only pub TV in nation owned by K-12 school divisions. Programs customized to meet needs of VA learners.

Our school board was honored to recognize Bert Schmidt, Pres/CEO @whropublicmedia with the @VirginiaSchoolBoardsAssociation Media Honor Roll Award. We have a tremendous partnership and amazing resources for our students, thanks so much WHRO!

@PeteGretz - Superintendent Middlesex County Public Schools

Thank you, Middlesex County Public Schools! They are just one of the latest school systems to take advantage of the wealth of services we offer for students and teachers.

While many of our TV and radio listeners know us for informative and entertaining programming, they may not realize WHRO Education is a department within our public media station that is filled with educators and educational experts. These staff members work tirelessly to bring educational services to the students and teachers of Virginia.

In case you aren’t familiar with their work, here are five areas where their efforts help educators, students and families across the Commonwealth.

1. Professional development for educators.
WHRO Education offers an extensive catalog of professional development and continuing education courses. The wide variety of courses enables educators to stay on top of the latest trends, learn best practices, and earn recertification points or graduate credit from the comfort of their homes. From in-person workshops that explore the latest technology for classrooms, to online courses through the PBS TeacherLine http://www.pbs.org/teacherline/, teachers will find flexible, high quality professional development opportunities that provide practical information they can put to use in the classroom the very next day.

2. eMediaVA
This free digital library of SOL-aligned resources is available to all Virginia teachers. For years, educators across the Commonwealth have been using these videos and learning activities to spark creativity and enliven learning in their classrooms.

3. Online course creation for schools.
WHRO Education provides online courses, custom educational content, and accessible, statewide delivery platforms for school systems. Our catalog of online courses, such as our recently added World Geography course, cover core curriculum subjects and are all correlated to Virginia's standards of learning. We understand the needs of Virginia educators and are dedicated to offering affordable and customizable products that will revolutionize the teaching environment. Learn more at whroeducation.org.

4. Early childhood education.
Exposing children to basic reading and math skills early prepares them for success throughout their school career. The U.S. Department of Education reports that children who have not developed some basic literacy skills by the time they enter school are 3-4 times more likely to drop out in later years. That’s the reason our WHRO Education staff invests so much time into developing literacy and STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) programs that they present throughout the community.

  • Literacy Van Program - Children learn about reading, hear a story read aloud and take a pledge to practice so they will become better readers.  
  • STEM Van Program - Children learn coding, math and engineering concepts while creating fun crafts and competing in games on an iPad.  
  • Family and Community Learning Nights - Students and parents learn together through hands-on activities that encourage parents to help their children continue learning at home. 

5. Student competitions.
WHRO sponsors several annual competitions that allow students to develop hands-on skills and celebrate their successes. Students, parents and teachers all enjoy these competitive learning events.

Educators in Virginia have come to rely on WHRO Education to help them meet their needs as well as the needs of their students. Whether it’s through professional development opportunities, our literacy and STEM camps, online courses for school systems, or our community van visits, we are committed to helping Virginia children succeed in their educational journeys.