Charter schools: A charter school sought by MacDill Air Force Base in Florida has lost the first round of an appeals process. redefinED. The state charter appeals commission sides with the Hillsborough County School Board in its decision to turn down the application. The Tampa Tribune.
Private schools: Tampa’s Jesuit High School debaters eye national championships. The Tampa Tribune. Private schools’ FCAT fears mirror the frustrations Florida parents have with the assessment, writes Scott Maxwell for the Orlando Sentinel.
STEM: Students and supporters celebrate the launch of Polk County’s first High School High Tech program that allows students to explore STEM career paths. The Ledger.
Michelle Obama: The First Lady unveils a widespread expansion of afterschool exercise and snack programs during her visit to the Miami-Dade school district, part of her “Let’s Move!” healthy kids program. Miami Herald.
Common Core: Brevard middle and high schools may adopt 30 new textbooks as part of English and math standards being rolled out next school year. Florida Today.
Teacher evals: A former Florida Schools superintendent thinks back to a time when teachers were judged solely on how they delivered a lesson while in the presence of a principal. Florida Times-Union.
Support: Teachers, parents, politicians and local business leaders gather to discuss how to improve students’ success rates at one of the lowest performing schools in Escambia County. Pensacola News-Journal.
Principals: Leon County Schools employs a high percentage of black principals compared to the rest of the state and nation. Tallahassee Democrat.
School boards: Orange School Board members say they won’t buy land for high schools in rural settlements. Orlando Sentinel.
Achievement gap: Palm Beach County Schools superintendent meets with black community leaders to explain what the school district is doing addressing their concerns about black student achievement and recruitment of black and Haitian employees. Palm Beach Post.
Summer school: Polk County Superintendent Kathryn LeRoy unveils a summer school program that targets low-performing students. The Ledger.
Funding: Education funding and teacher pay are still abysmal despite Gov. Scott’s claims, writes Frank Cerabino for the Palm Beach Post.
Class size: The Lee County School Board agrees to bend the Class Size Amendment to allow school averages to determine the number of students in core classes. Fort Myers News-Press. Lee schools choose to pay $800,000 in fines, instead. Naples Daily News.
State testing: A Florida Department of Education procurement team says the non-profit American Institutes for Research should develop and administer the state’s new standardized tests. The Buzz. Florida continues to test, teach to the tests and then evaluate students, teachers and schools based on those tests. The result is seldom pretty. Tallahassee Democrat.
Special needs: Student disabilities weigh heavily on children and teachers in Florida accountability system. Tampa Bay Times.
Bus drivers: School bus issues are in the spotlight in Hillsborough County, and Hillsborough’s superintendent is looking for input from bus drivers. Tampa Bay Times. Who are the four Hillsborough County school bus driver trainers alleging unsafe conditions for special-needs students? Tampa Bay Times. More from The Tampa Tribune.
Gardening: The local health department plans to build learning gardens at six Orange County schools. Orlando Sentinel.
Bullying: Lawmakers file bills addressing bullying among high school, college and pro athletes following a New York University study on bullying that was suggested by Dolphins owner Stephen Ross. The Florida Current.
Conduct: The Broward School Board opts to fire a Coconut Creek teacher despite an administrative law judge’s recommendation to lessen the penalty. Sun Sentinel. A Spring Hill Elementary School para-teacher resigns after being accused of yelling at, and picking up students and removing them from the school’s cafeteria. The Tampa Tribune.
