Virginia is used to being a leader.  The Commonwealth has contributed scores of statesmen and innovators who have served our nation well, all while respecting time-tested traditions and values.

“Virginia Leading the Way” is the motto of the Kaine Administration, adopted by the Governor because it embodies both Virginia's tradition of excellence – and its constant striving to surpass previous achievements. 

Look to these pages for the latest accolades and accomplishments the Commonwealth has earned for its business acumen and its educational excellence, as well as for notable accomplishments in other areas.  We will update this content quarterly, based on feedback and tips from across the state.

You can also see how Virginia is leading the way in the Governor's related news releases.

Virginia Leads:    in Green Efforts  |  in Business  |  in Education  |  in Technology  |  other Notable Achievements

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Our Latest Accolades   

Virginia Leading the Way  . . .  in Green Efforts  

• In November, 2008, the National Council of State Housing Agencies presented the Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) with the award for Program Excellence during the council's recent 2008 annual conference & tradeshow. VHDA's Green Building Incentive Program won in the newly created "Going Green" category.
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• In June, 2009, Governor Timothy M. Kaine announced a groundbreaking initiative to survey air pollution from facilities throughout the Commonwealth that were initially grandfathered by the 1970 federal Clean Air Act. In the first program of its kind in the nation, Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will determine whether older facilities previously not subject to direct reviews currently comply with National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).
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. . .  in Business  

• Virginia has been repeatedly recognized as the "Best State for Business" by Forbes.com (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), CNBC (2007, 2009), and Pollina Corporate Real Estate Inc. (2007, 2009).
• The September 2006 issue of Inc. Magazine shows Virginia with 35 of the "Fastest Growing Companies" in the nation on the Inc. 500 List.
• In August 2006, Entrepreneur.com named Virginia the second best state for Entrepreneurs; Fairfax County also placed second in their entrepreneurial county rankings.

. . .  in Education  

• In February, 2009, Governor Timothy M. Kaine praised Virginia’s high school seniors today on ranking third in the nation for the percentage of students earning a score of three or higher on the rigorous Advanced Placement (AP) examinations. The findings—announced this morning by the College Board in its fifth annual Advanced Placement Report to the Nation—placed the Commonwealth third nationally in AP achievement for the second straight year. Virginia ranked fourth in the nation in the College Board’s 2007 report.
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• Thanks to Governor Kaine’s focus on individually-designed education plans for students of all backgrounds, the more than 87,000 ESOL students in the Commonwealth far outpace English language learners in other states around the country. The National Assessment of Educational Progress—known as “the nation’s report card”—ranks Virginia number one in the nation for fourth-grade reading proficiency by English language learners.
  
• Under Governor Kaine, the Commonwealth’s ESOL program has made significant strides that have improved the learning outcomes for English language learners and have the Commonwealth leading the nation in achievement. By taking a stand against standardized tests designed for native speakers—creating alternative tests for English language learners instead—Virginia has closed the achievement gap between English language learners and other students from 21 points to 9 points and improved the pass rate on Standards of Learning tests by English learners from 55 percent to 78 percent since 2003. Virginia’s English language learners have also improved achievement overall on high school exit exams and national standardized tests.
  
• In February, 2008, the College Board's fourth annual Advanced Placement Report to the Nation stated that Virginia now boasts the nation’s third-highest percentage of high school seniors earning a grade of 3 or better on Advanced Placement (AP) examinations. Virginia ranked fourth in the previous College Board report.
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• Education Week says Virginia children are the most likely in the nation to experience success as they move from childhood to adulthood. The journal, in its annual “Quality Counts” report on the progress of the nation’s public schools, says that the typical student in the commonwealth “enjoys higher achievement and is more likely to finish high school and continue on to college than in other states.” 
  • Examine the full Quality Counts 2007 report from Education Week.
  • Download the full report on Virginia (pdf, 455 k)
    
    
• In May 2006, Newsweek magazine listed 18 Virginia high schools as among the 150 best high schools in the nation.
• In its 2006 Best of the Nation report, U.S. News and World Report ranked the following Virginia institutions:
  • Top 50 Public Universities – University of Virginia (tied for 2nd); College of William and Mary  (6th); Virginia Tech (tied for 34th).
  • Best Liberal Arts Colleges – Washington & Lee (tied for 17th); University of Richmond (tied for 34th);
  • Best Master's Universities, Southern Region – James Madison University (2nd); University of Mary Washington (6th);
  • Top Master's Public Universities, Southern Region – James Madison University (1st); University of Mary Washington (2nd); Longwood University (11th).
  • Virginia Commonwealth University ranked #1 in the disciplines of Fine Arts/Sculpture, and Nursing/Anesthesia.

. . . in Technology   

• In September, 2008, Governor Kaine applauded Virginia's success in leading the nation in growth of high-tech exports.
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• In September, 2008, Governor Kaine announced that Virginia had received top honors in the nation for information security and technology management from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO). Both programs received first place honors from NASCIO at its 20th annual Recognition Awards program yesterday in Milwaukee.
• In June 2007, The Virginia Department of Aging was awarded a 2007 Intergovernmental Solutions Award by the American Council for Technology (ACT). The award recognizes outstanding progress made at all levels of government through the innovative use of technology as a tool for more efficient and effective business processes.
• In October 2006, Governor Kaine announced that Virginia will be the first state in the nation to participate in an historic project to index and digitize Freedmen’s Bureau records, allowing historians and descendents of emancipated slaves, freed Blacks, and Black Union soldiers to access historical data, much of which was never before available.
• Virginia was ranked second in the nation in its use of information technology to benefit citizens in the 2006 Digital States Survey, a prestigious biennial study by the non-profit Center for Digital Government in conjunction with Government Technology magazine.

Other Notable Achievements  

• In 2008, Virginia received the top score in the Government Performance Project’s “Grading the States 2008” report, the nation’s only comprehensive, independent analysis of how well each state performs in serving the public. In the first such rating in three years, Virginia achieved an overall grade of A- for performance.
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• In February, 2009, Virginia was cited as National Leader in Results- Based Budgeting February 17, 2009, Governor Timothy M. Kaine called attention to a new report by the Pew Center on the States that commends the Commonwealth's data-based and results-oriented approach to budgeting and management as an effective decision-making strategy for addressing current fiscal challenges.
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• In January, 2009, Governor Kaine highlighted Virginia's ranking as first among the 50 states and U.S. territories for the number of historic districts added to the National Register of Historic Places during federal fiscal year 2008. It is the fourth consecutive year in which Virginia has achieved top ranking for districts listed.
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• In July, 2008, Governor Kaine announced that Virginia has been ranked highest in the nation for job entry rates for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients for federal fiscal years 2005 and 2006, by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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• In September, 2007, the Virginia Housing Development Authority won two national awards recognizing outstanding achievement in affordable housing. VHDA won for its REACH NOVA and VHDA University programs.
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• In July, 2007, the Virginia Division of Child Support Enforcement was a winner of the 2007 Council of State Governments' (CSG) Innovations Award for its Cell Phone Initiative.  With this cell phone records project, Virginia is the first state to initiate administrative subpoenas to cellular phone companies requesting addresses and phone numbers for delinquent non-custodial parents who owe child support.
• Virginia has been ranked Number 1 by the National Register of Historic Places for having the greatest number of historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  This is the second year in a row the Commonwealth has been so honored.
• In October 2006 the Virginia Housing Development Authority's "Find a Lender" program was recognized by the National Council of State Housing Agencies for outstanding achievement in affordable housing.
• Virginia's Division of Child Support Enforcement was recognized by the National Child Support Enforcement Association with their 2006 Outstanding Program Award for exemplifying the best in enforcement practices and services to its constituency.