The first and only time I met Onicka Patterson was in May 2012, during a Step Up For Students donor event. She was one of 22 kindergartners and first-graders from Manatee Learning Academy https://www.manateelearningacademy.com/ who joined Step Up and Kemper Corporation representatives for a tour of the Southeastern Guide Dog facility in Palmetto, Fla. There… Read more »
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redefinED blog stars: On Coursera, Cristo Rey, course choice and more
Editor’s note: “Blog stars” is our occasional roundup of thoughtful stuff from other ed blogs and sometimes a newspaper or two. Don’t forget course choice From a Shreveport Times op-ed: Nearly all of us have had an experience where we were stuck in a class in which no matter how many times the teacher explained a concept,… Read more »
Thanks to “voucher,” girl and great-grandma find a school that’s like family
Editor’s note: Every month, Step Up For Students – which co-hosts this blog – profiles a family that benefits from Florida’s tax credit scholarship program. Here’s the latest: Vivian Calhoun is raising a princess. She didn’t plan on it, but it’s working out just fine. She gets to give and receive lots of hugs and kisses… Read more »
Word for word: Tony Bennett on school choice, school districts and social justice
Editor’s note: As we reported last night, Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett made newsworthy comments yesterday when he spoke at an all-boys magnet school in Tampa. He suggested school choice wasn’t a matter of public vs. private, and credited Florida school districts – Hillsborough’s in particular – for expanding magnets, career academies and other quality choice… Read more »
redefinED roundup: School choice in Tennessee, Catholic schools closing in New York & more
California: The award-winning American Indian Model charter schools face closure after failing to fix problems with financial oversight that resulted in $3.8 million of questionable expenses (The Oakland Tribune). Wisconsin: Three former state House speakers push for a voucher expansion (Associated Press). School choice options continue to grow with proponents pointing to achievement gains (WisconsinReporter). Indiana:… Read more »
Florida roundup: Teacher pay, Tony Bennett, Marco Rubio & more
Teacher pay. Gov. Rick Scott says he wants to set aside enough money in this year’s budget to give every district teacher a $2,500 raise. Coverage from Tampa Bay Times, South Florida Sun Sentinel, Naples Daily News, Sarasota Herald Tribune, Associated Press, Tallahassee Democrat, Pensacola News Journal. Politics and poll numbers are at play, the HT… Read more »
Grades for Florida voucher schools?
New Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett offered more hints Wednesday that he is not satisfied with the current accountability framework for Florida private schools that accept students with vouchers and tax credit scholarships. Making his first appearance before the Senate Education Committee, Bennett was asked by Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, for his thoughts on “holding everybody… Read more »
Florida roundup: Low graduation rates, teacher raises, Teach for America & more
Grad rates. Not good for Florida, according to this new report from the U.S. Department of Education. In 2009-10, the state’s rate was 70.8 percent, putting it No. 44 among all 50 states and Washington D.C. And unlike other estimates, the federal numbers show modestly improving trend lines rather than strong gains. For what it’s worth,… Read more »
Tony Bennett on testing private school “voucher” students in Florida
In this lengthy exit interview with the Indianapolis Star, new Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett adds to a simmering debate, sparked last month by Gov. Rick Scott, about whether students using vouchers and tax credit scholarships to attend private schools in Florida should be required to take the same standardized tests as their public school counterparts. By law,… Read more »
Florida roundup: Teacher pensions, school spending, honeymoons & more
No honeymoon for Bennett. Especially from the teachers union, reports WCTV. The new commissioner should resolve the bureaucratic limbo over concordant test scores needed for graduation, editorializes the Tampa Bay Times. Pensions. It’s a political issue for 2014 now that the Florida Supreme Court has ruled against the teachers unions, writes the Sarasota Herald Tribune. Writing…. Read more »
