Common Core: The quick rollout of the new education standards in South Florida has some educators worried that students still trying to learn English could be left behind. Sun Sentinel. Catholic schools are quietly embracing the Common Core. The Tampa Tribune. Religious schools are mindful of the new standards but some are also proceeding with caution. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
More on PISA: The stagnant results from the PISA test ought to be a warning that we are not getting the job done. And our kids deserve better, writes the Palm Beach Post.
School safety: Across the country, parents and educators are saying or thinking the same thing: How do we make schools and children safer? Florida Times-Union.
Funding: Hernando County board members breathe new life into an effort to increase funding and challenge parts of the state's complex funding formula, the Florida Education Finance Program or FEFP. Tampa Bay Times.
Retention: The number of third-graders in Southwest Florida being held back a grade have decreased, yet, good cause exemptions are on the rise. Fort Myers News-Press.
Fine arts: Research shows the more arts courses Florida students enroll in, the more likely they are to take the SAT and score well on standardized tests. And conversely, students who appear to be struggling academically generally take fewer arts courses than their peers. StateImpact Florida.
AVID: The international program expects a lot from students, who take honors and Advanced Placement classes to prepare for college, a goal many of the students might not have considered otherwise. The Tampa Tribune.
Grad rates: While graduation rates at seven of the Treasure Coast’s 13 high schools worsened last year, the majority of schools have seen their rates rise since 2011. TC Palm.
Tax hike: About two-thirds of respondents in a new Jacksonville Public Education Fund poll say they would accept a property tax increase if the money went to schools. Florida Times-Union.
Teachers unions: Pasco's teachers union leader steps down after 15 years. Tampa Bay Times.
Hands-on learning: Pasco County fourth-graders come to the Energy and Marine Center to learn about the important role mangroves, oyster beds, the marsh and the adjacent hammock play in the food chain and the environment. Tampa Bay Times.
Homeless students: A Broward County homeless shelter helps students with mentoring and tutoring. Sun Sentinel.
Financial literacy: It's never too early to get started on making sure students are financially literate, writes the Palm Beach Post.
Neuroscience Day: Neuroscience Discovery Day at the Max Planck Florida Institute helps get kids excited about science. Palm Beach Post.
Bracelet ban: Rainbow Loom bracelets — the colorful craze among the elementary-school set — have been banned from at least two Orange County schools because officials say they are disrupting class. Orlando Sentinel.
