Critics of Betsy DeVos’ nomination as Secretary of Education have promoted a narrative that she is a free-market ideologue opposed to all education regulations. But a step outside the shadow of the dysfunctional Detroit education system and a look at DeVos’ advocacy for private school choice paints a more nuanced picture. A paper trail left by DeVos,… Read more »
Missing fuel: More than $500,000 worth of gas and diesel fuel is unaccounted for, taken from Palm Beach County School District gas pumps between 2013 and 2016 at times when the district is closed, an audit disclosed this week. The district’s inspector general said lax controls allow employees to share gas cards, and there are… Read more »
Lawsuit dismissed: Florida has not failed to fulfill its constitutional mandate to provide a quality education for all public school students, a circuit court judge has ruled. Judge George Reynolds III dismissed the suit brought by Citizens for Strong Schools and others against the State Department of Education and legislative leaders. The plaintiffs charged that the state’s… Read more »
Florida’s public schools weathered budget cuts during the Great Recession, but student performance continued to improve. It’s been a “leader” in the national movement for school accountability. Tax credit scholarships and a voucher program for special-needs students don’t hurt public schools, and may help make the system better. Same for charter schools, which continue to… Read more »
Louisiana’s voucher program is unique. It has more, and more comprehensive, regulations than most private school choice programs. It has fewer schools participating. And it’s the first program of its kind to show such strong, negative academic results. During a Friday forum on school vouchers and regulation hosted by the libertarian Cato Institute, Patrick Wolf,… Read more »
A two-year study of school vouchers in Louisiana found the program has a “significant and substantial negative” impact on student achievement, but researchers believe the program may be showing signs of improvement. The two-year study found students receiving vouchers to attend private schools lost ground to their public school peers in math and social studies,… Read more »
School recess: Supporters of daily recess for elementary students are worried that the bill they support still isn’t getting a hearing in the Senate. They blame Sen. John Legg, R-Lutz, for the inactivity. Legg, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, says other issues have a higher priority. Gradebook. Charters and construction: Today, the House Appropriations Committee… Read more »
School construction spending: The Florida Association of District School Superintendents fires off a letter to legislators to refute the allegations that school officials have misspent millions in construction dollars. The association claims some legislators are misrepresenting the data in order to shift construction money to charter schools. Tampa Bay Times. Orlando Sentinel. School testing: The U.S. Department of Education… Read more »
School grades: State Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, files a bill that would give all Florida schools a grade of incomplete, arguing that the formula to determine grades requires learning gains that can’t be calculated. Gradebook. The recently released simulated school grade for Godby High School in Tallahassee demonstrates how the school is able to take advantage of… Read more »
Elected commissioner: Support is growing among Republican legislators for a bill that would make the education commissioner an elected, Cabinet-level position again. Many of those legislators see an elected education commissioner reversing the state’s adoption of Common Core standards. Naples Daily News. Teacher bonuses bill: The Florida House education committee is pushing a bill that will continue… Read more »
