Virginia Gov. Youngkin announces tutoring program to match college students with younger kids

Virginia GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced a new tutoring program in which students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities will come together to tutor kids K-12. 

The 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress showed in a recent report that, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, math and reading scores for students in grades four through eight have declined. The program aims to remedy that.

"We cannot wait, not even a single minute," Youngkin said in a statement, according to 13NewsNow. "Our children cannot afford it anymore."

Among the HBCUs set to participate are Norfolk State University, Hampton University, Virginia State University, and Virginia Union University. They will tutor students in Hampton, Portsmouth, and Petersburg.

Virginia's Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera said in a statement that students in those school divisions have the greatest learning needs and would thus take priority.

"We look forward to receiving more information about the tutoring program and how it will be implemented in our schools," the statement read. "We are hopeful this will be a benefit to both our students as well as the participants from Norfolk State," a spokesperson for Portsmouth schools told the outlet.

This program will receive $2 billion from the Commonwealth for COVID-19 relief and education.

Youngkin's campaign heavily focused on educational issues.

"Virginians deserve to know the truth about how our children are doing," said Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera in a statement. "Under Governor Youngkin's leadership, we aim to be the most transparent and accountable state in the nation, while empowering parents and teachers with the knowledge and choices to do what’s best for each learner."