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William & Mary names first black dean to run its law school

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) — William & Mary has named the first African American dean to run its law school.

The university in Williamsburg, Virginia, said in a statement on Monday that the new dean will be A. Benjamin Spencer.

The school says that Spencer is a nationally renowned civil procedure and federal courts expert.

He is currently a law professor at the University of Virginia. William & Mary says that Spencer is the first African-American dean of any school at the university.

Spencer graduated from Harvard Law School. He holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics.

He got his bachelor’s at Morehouse College.

DC students made small gains on last year’s standardized tests, but still below prepandemic levels in math, data shows

This story is part of WTOP’s 2026 Back to School coverage. D.C. students made small gains in reading last year, but math results haven't yet reached prepandemic levels, according to new citywide standardized test data released Thursday. At a news briefing, District education officials shared results from the D.C. CAPE standardized test. The assessment is given to third through 12th grade students in English, language arts and mathematics in the spring. It assigns students a level between one and five. Students scoring Level 1 didn't yet meet expectations, and Level 5 is defined as exceeding expectations. Scores of Level 4 or 5 are considered proficient and on grade level. Across the city, there was a 2% increase in ELA proficiency and a 2.1% bump in math proficiency, compared with the 2025 results. About 39.6% of students were considered on grade level in reading in the spring, the highest proficiency the city has reported since 2015. About 28.5% were proficient in math.
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