Larry O’Connor and Winsome Earle-Sears to Headline Virginia Event
EdNews Virginia | January 25, 2026
National School Choice Week (NSCW) is officially under way. “All week, we’re celebrating how school choice has changed the lives of millions of students by empowering parents and families to choose a school or program that best meets their child’s needs,” the U.S. Department of Education posted Sunday on X.
NSCW exists to highlight the critical need for variety in K-12 education. A program of the National School Choice Awareness Foundation (NSCAF), the week has been observed annually since 2011.
“When parents have the power to choose learning environments that best meet their children’s needs, students are more likely to learn, thrive, succeed, and be happy,” the NSCAF website reads.
Here in Virginia, School Choice Week 2026 will conclude with a luncheon held in Arlington on January 31, featuring remarks from WMAL talk show host Larry O’Connor and now-former Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears.
The January 31 luncheon, hosted by EdReform Virginia, will be Earle-Sears’ first public event since leaving office on January 17. To learn more, visit SchoolChoiceVA.com.
Last year, EdReform Virginia hosted a similar event with a variety of dynamic speakers on the transformative power of educational freedom.
Then-Virginia Education Secretary Aimee Guidera stressed the need for “high expectations,” while recognizing that “one size does not fit all” in K-12 education. “We just need to unleash opportunity in all kinds of ways,” Guidera said last year.
