Accountability. A key House lawmaker sees no support for pausing grades. Gradebook.
Expulsions. The mother at the center of a controversial expulsion case is also a public-school teacher, and fears her job could be at risk. Pensacola News-Journal.
Discipline. Sarasota considers alternatives to suspensions and other major punishments. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
STEM. Schools seem to be diverting students from precalculus. Bridge to Tomorrow. A Palm Beach Post columnist inveighs against letting students sub computer science for foreign languages.
Technology. Volusia schools struggle to provide devices. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Testing. The Duval school board is the latest to call for a switch to national assessments. Florida Times-Union. Ohio may use Florida items next year. Gradebook.
Boundaries. Orange County parents protest a rezoning proposal. Orlando Sentinel.
Teacher quality. Lee schools feel a shortage. Fort Myers News-Press.
Tax credit scholarships. Will the program drain $3 billion from public schools? Mostly false. PolitiFact.
Politics. Orlando Sentinel columnist Beth Kassab chides a local school board candidate who attacked the "toxic culture of education" for over-the-top political rhetoric.
Philanthropy. Teach for America recruits appear to be helping Miami-Dade students in math but not reading, a study shows. Miami Herald. An alumna of the program from Brooksville is now an "education superstar" in DC public schools, a Tampa Bay Times columnist writes. A prep school student raises money for laptops at a nearby Title I school. Tampa Bay Times. A Gates Foundation program aims to help more Jacksonville students receive full scholarships. WJCT.
Testing. Some superintendents question falling FCAT writing scores. Tampa Bay Times.
Administration. Administrators reprimand a Hernando County band director who rallied parents behind his program. Tampa Bay Times. The Palm Beach school baord approves hires. Palm Beach Post.
Labor. Collier County teachers say if they're required to be on annual contracts, their principals should be, too. Naples Daily News.
STEM. A UF project aims to help students improve in algebra. StateImpact.
Facilities. Escambia County school district sells off the last of its vacant property. Pensacola News-Journal.
Summer. The City of Jacksonville runs camps for at-risk kids. Florida Times-Union. Libraries in the city aim to help students over the summer. Florida Times-Union.
Employee conduct. A Hillsborough teacher faces criminal charges after leaving the scene of a car wreck. Tampa Bay Times.
Lawsuit: The Palm Beach County School Board faces a lawsuit from two students and their rabbi/attorney/father that charges the district fails to teach evolution and truths about religions. Sun Sentinel.
Protest: Parents protest the Lake County school district's planned busing cuts that will force some elementary and middle-school students to walk to school when classes start Monday. Orlando Sentinel.
AFT: American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten blasts former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former Education Commissioner Tony Bennett during a speech where she called the state “ground zero for every single market-based experiment that has been done to our children.” Miami Herald.
Accountability: StateImpact Florida looks at what the switch to Common Core State Standards would mean for Florida's school grading system.
2016: A-F grades, Florida's school grade results and Common Core - that's how StateImpact Florida ranks talking points for Jeb Bush's possible 2016 presidential run.
Working: Polk County's Summer Youth Employment Program gives almost 400 teens and young adults work experience with businesses and public organizations before heading back to school or into a new career. The Ledger.
Homeless: Children from the Sulzbacher Center for the homeless in Jacksonville get a school bus ride to Old Navy and a gift certificate to buy new school clothes. Florida Times-Union. Pinellas County school officials look to a Hillsborough County program that helps homeless students. Tampa Bay Times.
Teachers: Nearly 5,000 educators head back to school this week in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Pensacola News-Journal.
Charters: Steele-Collins All Male Charter Academy starts the school year with a new focus, a new curriculum and new students. Tallahassee Democrat. A state report shows more Florida charter schools had operating deficits at the end of fiscal 2012, compared to the previous year. Tampa Bay Times.
Fix it: The Hillsborough County School Board and administrators need to re-examine the district's staffing levels and training to ensure its special needs students are adequately served, writes the Tampa Bay Times editorial board.
Parent focus: Lincoln Park Elementary Principal Cassandra Smith plans to work closely with parents at the turnaround school in Escambia County. Pensacola News Journal.
School spending: Manatee County School Board members meet tonight to consider a 2.16 percent increase to this year's tax levy to help bring in more money for the district. Bradenton Herald. Palm Beach County teachers will get raises and elementary schools will get 24 new police officers under a tentative $1.6 billion budget. Sun-Sentinel. And Palm Beach school board members don't like that an advisory committee didn't get to review the entire budget. Palm Beach Post. Teacher raises, and new buses and computers are on tap for Broward County schools. Sun-Sentinel. Miami-Dade school board members discover that despite Gov. Rick Scott's pledge for a $2,500 raise for every teacher, the figure is really more of a suggestion. Miami Herald.
Overhaul: Renovations at North Palm Beach Elementary continue with the Palm Beach County school set to open next fall featuring a new choice program, the Children’s Orchestra and Performing Arts (COPA) project. Palm Beach Post.
Charter schools: The Hillsborough County school district formally closes GATES High School after the charter school's leaders failed to obtain land for expansion. Tampa Bay Times.
Athletics: Hillsborough County school officials continue working on a new policy concerning student participation in district school sports. Tampa Bay Times. Booker High School football players finish up with a Summer Athletic Academic Enrichment and Life Skills Program to bolster their academic and social skills. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Cutbacks: Lake County students will lose their bus ride to afterschool programs due to the district slashing $1.4 million from its transportation budget. Orlando Sentinel. (more…)
School grades: Schools superintendents from across the state warn Education Commissioner Tony Bennett and the Board of Education that the new school grades formula will result in more F schools. Tampa Bay Times. More from the Palm Beach Post and Orlando Sentinel.
Lawsuits: A judge has ruled that the federal discrimination suit against the Hillsborough County school district in the death of special education student Isabella Herrera can proceed. Tampa Bay Times. The Pasco County School Board sues Citigroup over allegations of bond fraud. Tampa Bay Times.
Wanted: The Hillsborough County School Board is looking for an attorney to replace Tom Gonzalez. Only three candidates have applied. Tampa Bay Times.
Charter schools: Pembroke Pines officials agree not to contract with Charter Schools USA to operate the city's charter schools for at least two years, and teachers agree to take a pay cut. Sun Sentinel.
Student count: A Lake County charter school has to prove it kept proper attendance records, but that could leave the district may have to pay back some or all of state funding it received for those students. Orlando Sentinel.
Health care: A sharp increase in employee health-insurance premiums has prompted the Seminole School Board to consider a self-insurance program. Orlando Sentinel.
New boss: The Lee County School Board voted unanimously to approve the contract for new schools Superintendent Nancy Graham. News-Press. More about Graham's $169,000 contract from Naples News.
FCAT: Sarasota County students from low-income families continue to fall behind on their FCAT scores prompting school board members to search for remedy. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Attendance zones: Escambia County school officials approve new attendance zones. Pensacola News-Journal.
AP classes: Schools superintendents tell state Board of Education leaders that a recent legislative bill allowing high school students to take as many advanced placement courses as they want will cost districts millions of dollars that district budgets can't support. Associated Press.
Charter schools: Pembroke Pines city leaders release a privatization plan for its charter schools system that could result in hundreds of teachers losing their jobs. Miami Herald. The city plans to contract with Charter Schools USA for $10 million a year to operate the system. Sun-Sentinel.
School grades: Education officials from across the state head to Tampa today to talk with Board of Education members about the state's school-grading formula. Miami Herald.
Budget cuts: Lake County School Board members on Monday discussed changing school start times and cutting courtesy busing to fill a $16.3 million budget shortfall for next fiscal year. Orlando Sentinel.
Prison: Former Rosarian Academy teacher Stephen Budd faces a life in prison surrounding allegations that he traded candy for sex with 9-year-old students. Palm Beach Post.
Lawsuit: Palm Beach County schools sues the city of West Palm Beach for unpaid stormwater fees. Palm Beach Post.
Tony: Education Commissioner Tony Bennett talks Common Core, charter schools, teacher quality and more. Tampa Bay Times. (more…)
Teachers. Either masochists or saints. StateImpact Florida.
Teacher conduct. The Gilchrist County teacher of the year is put on leave following allegations of inappropriate conduct with female students. Gainesville Sun.
Teacher pay. The chair of the Marion County School Board says 160 first-year teachers will be spared their jobs if all teachers forgo their state bonus money. Ocala Star Banner.
Teacher protest. Two Manatee High teachers unveil a mural replica of Edvard Munch's "The Scream" - their version made from garbage because the district did not have money for materials - to protest budget cuts. Bradenton Herald and Sarasota Herald Tribune.
Subs. Recent graduates from a Palm Beach County high school give back - by returning as substitute teachers. Palm Beach Post.
Charter schools. A struggling charter in Deland is fighting to stay open. Daytona Beach News Journal.
Common Core. Will Common Core state standards undermine school choice? Jay P. Greene: Yes. Checker Finn: No.
School spending. Small towns in Miami-Dade chip in to pay for a school nurse. Miami Herald.
School districts. Manatee is in a crisis "more dire than anticipated," new Superintendent Rick Mills says, according to the Bradenton Herald. District officials release an economic recovery plan, reports the Sarasota Herald Tribune. (more…)
Catholic schools. Yet another Catholic school closes, this one in Palm Beach County, with many students turning to charter schools. South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Charter schools. One in east Hillsborough will close after multiple issues, reports the Tampa Tribune. Dayspring Academy in Pasco, co-founded by state Sen. John Legg, wants to expand to two more campuses, reports the Tampa Bay Times.
Virtual schools. A struggling teen in Hernando takes 10 online courses in a comeback surge to graduate on time. Tampa Bay Times.
Accountability. Florida has taken steps to prevent gaming of the system. EdFly Blog.
Common Core. The Council of Chief State School Officers opposes delays in accountability requirements as states adjust. StateImpact Florida.
Teacher pay. Pasco Superintendent Kurt Browning says the Leg didn't increase funding enough to give teachers the raises that Gov. Rick Scott envisioned. Gradebook.
Teacher conduct. A Polk teacher who said she and her father were dying was apparently lying so she could skip school. WFTV. (more…)
Charter schools. Excel Leadership Academy in West Palm Beach makes its case to stay open before an administrative law judge, reports Extra Credit. The Daytona Beach News Journal looks at a struggling charter in Flagler.
Virtual schools. The Palm Beach Post looks at the potential financial hit to Florida Virtual School from recent legislative changes. Education Week offers a short write-up on Florida's online expansion.
School rankings. Take some with a grain of salt, some with a truckload, writes Matt Di Carlo at the Shanker Blog. Three Marion high schools are among the best in U.S. News & World Report, reports the Ocala Star Banner.
School closures. Dozens rally against proposed closures in Brevard. Florida Today.
School spending. Increased funding from the Legislature still may not be enough to get Marion out of a hole, reports the Ocala Star Banner. The school board in financially troubled Manatee takes a closer-than-usual look at contracts and spending, reports the Bradenton Herald.
Teacher evals. The Quick & The Ed offers a legal analysis of the recently filed lawsuit. (more…)
School turnarounds. Tampa Bay Times education editor Tom Tobin offers his take on what it takes: "a long, slow slog that requires principals and teachers to keep on task, stay inspired and fight through times when things don't seem to be working." The Times also offers a statistical snapshot of the five Pinellas schools on the turnaround list.
Legislature. Fund Education Now co-founder Christine Bramuchi offers her take on what happened in this year's session in a Q&A with the Orlando Sentinel. John Romano does here. The Palm Beach Post does here. Orlando Sentinel rundown here. Tallahassee Democrat here. Times/Herald here.
Florida's progress. Accountability through school grades has made a positive difference, writes Matt Ladner at Jay P. Greene Blog.
Teachers unions. The Florida Education Association has been operating without its tax-exempt status since January. Florida Center for Investigative Reporting.
Teacher pay. The Broward County School Board agrees to give extra money to high-performing teachers at low-performing schools. Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel.
Teacher conduct. A Broward County band teacher is accused of marijuana-fueled, sexual trysts with a student, reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel. In another teacher conduct case, the Palm Beach Post has the latest on a former private school teacher accused of giving students candy in return for sex acts.
Parent trigger. StateImpact Florida does a Storify on the post-trigger battle over #parentempowerment. Margo Pope from Florida Voices: "Parents already have options in state law that empower them. They don’t need another law. They need to know how to use what is already on the books." (more…)
