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, the U.S. DOE says the formula used for this report isn’t as accurate as others – and, in fact, is being phased out and replaced by a more precise formula. Coverage from Gradebook and StateImpact Florida. Nationally, the rate reached its highest point in decades. Coverage from Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Huffington Post.

Teacher pay raises. Gov. Rick Scott will seek them in his budget proposal, with an announcement set for today. Karen Aronowitz, president of United Teachers of Dade in Miami, tells the Tampa Bay Times, “Tell him to send the money, but no one is fooled by this. He’s just restoring money that was already stolen from teachers." More from South Florida Sun Sentinel and News Service of Florida.

Teach for America. EdFly Blog: “Teach for America recruits bright, motivated university graduates and puts them in classrooms with low-income, disadvantaged kids. Normally, liberals would latch on to such a notion – think Peace Corps in urban neighborhoods.” But no.

Teacher evaluations. The new system is on the right track, but it needs more work to be meaningful, editorializes TCPalm.com.

Guts. Somehow, Florida’s decision to participate in PIRLS and other international assessments is being spun in some circles as a negative. The Quick and The Ed blog credits Florida for not shying away from what could be unflattering comparisons.

Tony Bennett. He'll be in the spotlight this legislative session. Sunshine State News.

Parent power. Florida still ranks No. 2 in the Center for Education Reform’s revised Parent Power Index. SchoolZone.

Charter schools. After two F's in a row, Lee Charter Academy in Fort Myers will have to close. Fort Myers News Press. (more…)

At the EdFly Blog today, former Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Thomas asks a reasonable question: Why isn't the Florida teachers union trumpeting the dramatic gains of Florida teachers? This morning's Education Week ranking is just the latest in a long string of credible reports that finds Florida making steady academic progress. Shouldn't Florida teachers, doing more with less and under enormous pressure to produce results, get credit from those who portray themselves as their biggest supporters? Here's Thomas:

Florida scored another impressive victory with the state finishing sixth in the Education Week “Quality Counts’’ rankings.

This follows news from last month that Florida fourth graders finished second in the world on international reading assessments. In October, Miami-Dade won the prestigious Broad Prize for urban school districts because of progress in closing the achievement gap. Florida kids ranked second in the nation in learning gains dating back to the 1990s. I could go on.

Alas, Florida’s good news is not celebrated by all, even by its own teachers’ union. The Florida Education Association has been silent on all of the above, even though its teachers are on the front lines of these successes. Repentant reformer Diane Ravitch actually compared student achievement in Florida and Massachusetts. Of course Massachusetts kids perform better. Look at the student demographic and income data, Diane. Are you serious?

The reason for this denial is that Florida did not achieve its success by acceptable means. By that, I mean if the state had achieved these results by tripling education spending and eliminating its accountability provisions and school choice options, the above victories would have been trumpeted from the rooftops by the FEA and Diane as well.

Continue reading Thomas' post here.

Don’t back up, don’t back down. “Compromise” may be a watchword for 2013, but it wouldn’t be a good thing for education reform, writes Jeanne Allen, founder and president of The Center for Education Reform, in the Huffington Post. She points to Florida as a state that hasn’t compromised on accountability and school choice – and, as a result, has seen rising student achievement.

Acknowledging progress. Pointing to the recent PIRLS results as a “crucial mark of excellence,” the Miami Herald editorial board says Florida schools are making gains but need more money.

Tony Bennett. His views on Common Core and teacher evaluations. Gradebook.

More on charter school closing. School Zone weighs in on the one in Flagler that shut down during the holiday break.

Say no to Robin Hood. Some Seminole County parents don’t like the idea of using family incomes as a factor in drawing new school boundary lines. “The school board needs to stop playing Robin Hood,” one said. School Zone.

Inappropriate. The Hernando school district’s CFO posts pornographic images and makes critical comments about the superintendent online during work hours, reports the Tampa Bay Times.

After Newtown. School district officials in Palm Beach County say metal detectors aren't the answer, reports the Palm Beach Post. Armed officers and deputies will be at every Hillsborough elementary school when students return Monday, the Tampa Tribune reports. School resource officers will be in every Alachua elementary, beginning today, reports the Gainesville Sun. Beefed up security in Marion, too, reports the Ocala Star Banner.

Not the best fit. Andy Ford, president of the Florida teachers union, says in this Q&A with the Orlando Sentinel that Tony Bennett is “the best fit for the Jeb Bush power structure, but not the best choice for Florida's students, parents and school employees.” Board of Education member Kathleen Shanahan cites the PIRLS results in responding to a critical editorial about Bennett in the Tampa Bay Times.

Conflicts of interest? Three Board of Education members contributed to Tony Bennett’s campaign in Indiana. Gradebook.

Rick Scott is right to require students with vouchers and tax credit scholarships to take the same standardized tests as their public school peers, writes Adam Emerson at Choice Words.

In the wake of Newtown. Security beefed up at Florida schools: Tampa Bay Times, South Florida Sun Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Lakeland Ledger. Beneath the surface, emotional scars, reports the Miami Herald. State Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, and the author of the "stand your ground" law, says schools would be safer if teachers and principals could bring guns, reports the Sarasota Herald Tribune. More from Orlando Sentinel, Fort Myers News Press, Naples Daily News, Florida Today.

Remediation series. StateImpact Florida.

Newtown school shooting resonates. In added security and what to say.Tampa Tribune. Palm Beach Post. Tampa Bay Times.

$1 million for cell phones. The Education Action Group looks at credit card statements in the Palm Beach County school district and finds “enough questionable spending to make an average millionaire blush.”

Trojan horse? Another conspiracy theory about vouchers. StateImpact Florida.

Tony Bennett. His selection is more “same old, same old” and reflective of “institutional arrogance,” editorializes the Ocala Star Banner. Advice from the South Florida Sun Sentinel editorial board and Tampa Tribune columnist Steve Otto. Tampa Bay Times political editor Adam Smith names Bennett "winner of the week."

More PIRLS. The Tampa Bay Times editorial board says good job, I think.

Close it. An administrative law judge recommends shutting down  a struggling charter in Volusia County. Daytona Beach News Press.

Book club. Miami-Dade teachers discuss ed reform in their living rooms. One conclusion: “Change must be local.” Miami Herald.

The help he needed. A reading specialist at Northeast High in Pinellas County helps a talented athlete find success. Tampa Bay Times.

Basking in the glow. Interim education commissioner Pam Stewart touts the PIRLS results on CNN. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan offers praise, notes Orlando Sentinel. More from Fort Myers News Press.

More Tony Bennett. Tampa Bay Times columnist John Romano sees the same old agenda. The Tampa Bay Times editorial board says the BOE pick shows it “values conservative ideology over proven performance.” More from Tampa Bay Times, Florida Times-Union, Palm Beach Post, News Service of Florida, Sunshine State News,

More on testing and voucher kids. According to this Tampa Bay Times story, Gov. Rick Scott will propose that tax-credit scholarship students take the Common Core tests when they replace the FCAT.

DOE errors. Board of Education members criticize mistakes in teacher evaluation data. Gradebook. School Zone. Sun-Sentinel columnist Michael Mayo isn’t a fan.