Charter schools. Legislation intended to ease contract negotiations heads to the House floor. RedefinED. Extra Credit. Florida Current. Three Pasco charter schools are on thin ice with their school district. Tampa Bay Times. A black charter school in Palm Beach County faces potential closure. South Florida Times. Another school gets a green light to grow. Palm Beach Post. WLRN in Miami produces a Q&A with Charter Schools USA CEO Jon Hage.
Virtual school. The Walton Sun reports on one family's experience with Florida Virtual School.
Tax credit scholarships. One of Florida's oldest companies contributes $2 million to the scholarship program for low-income students. Pensacola News-Journal. Step Up for Students Vice President Jon East responds to a column criticizing the program in the Tallahassee Democrat. The organization helps administer the program and co-hosts this blog.
Common Core. Law enforcement groups support the standards. StateImpact. Republicans shouldn't dismiss a Jeb Bush presidential run based on his support for the standards, a Washington Post columnist writes.
Prayer. An Orlando Sentinel columnist throws cold water on the story of a 5-year-old who was reportedly prevented from praying at school.
Reading instruction. Florida educators discuss the impact of an extra hour of reading in struggling schools. Education Week. Boys often struggle more with reading. Tampa Bay Times.
Budgets. Spending plans pass the Legislature amid debate over charter school capital funds. Times/Herald. With money tight, Hernando schools implement a hiring freeze. Tampa Bay Times. State class-size rules crimp budgets in Marion County. Ocala Star-Banner.
School choice legislation. The Senate rewrites its plan for education savings accounts. redefinED. Sentinel School Zone. The move underscores the uncertain future of tax credit scholarship legislation. News Service of Florida. WFSU. Education historian Sherman Dorn offers his take on the politics, while Jeb Bush talks school choice with Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York.
Charter schools. The Palm Beach County School Board votes to close a struggling, 16-year-old school. Palm Beach Post. Charter Schools USA backs away from plans to open a school in Pasco County. Gradebook.
Virtual school. A Florida Virtual School administrator is a finalist for a state award. Sentinel School Zone.
Teacher pay. Hernando County teachers reach a pay-raise deal that creates a structure for future performance-based increases. Tampa Bay Times.
School safety. Hillsborough County's superintendent didn't learn about a child's death until months after it happened. Tampa Bay Times. She tries to spread the word about pedestrian safety. Times. A bill allowing some school employees to carry guns keeps moving through the Legislature. Extra Credit. Associated Press. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (more…)
Tax credit scholarships. Revived legislation expanding the program clears a House-panel on a party-line vote. Florida Times-Union. Capitol News Service. News Service of Florida. Times/Herald. Palm Beach Post. Associated Press. WFSU. The legislation could extend scholarships to middle-class families. Sun-Sentinel. A Washington Post blogger seizes on inconsistent uses of the term "waiting list." Answer Sheet. A Palm Beach Post columnist likens the bill to a "zombie that won't die." The program is administered by Step Up for Students, which co-hosts this blog.
Charter schools. Hillsborough schools officials raise questions about the non-profit organizations that hired Charter Schools USA to run three charter schools in the county. Tampa Bay Times. Charter schools compete with school districts for limited construction funds in the state budget. Times/Herald.
Extracurricular activities. The Florida Times-Union writes up a bill that would expand access for students in school choice programs.
Testing. School administrators say they need more time before the state switches standardized tests. Tampa Tribune. Duval's superintendent pledges to pare back the number of tests given in the district next year. Florida Times-Union.
Teachers. A Lee County Schools program aims to bring new teachers into high-need areas. Naples Daily News. Collier schools turn to recent retirees to make up for a substitute shortage. Naples Daily News. A recent statewide teacher of the year criticizes the use value-added scores to judge teachers, among other state education policies. Tampa Bay Times. (more…)
Tax credit scholarships. The legislation revamping the program could see a reversal of fortune – and get combined with a separate school-choice proposal. Times/Herald.
Capital funding. Both charter schools and traditional public schools stand to benefit from spending plans in the Legislature. Orlando Sentinel. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
State board. Gov. Rick Scott appoints an Orlando businesswoman to fill the latest vacancy on the Board of Education. Gradebook.
Funding. The overwhelming approval of a tax renewal shows school funding is important to voters, Jeremy Wallace writes for the Herald-Tribune.
Improvement. Blogger Mike Thomas, of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, responds to some of the fact-checks of the group's ad campaign touting Florida's progress in education. EdFly. Background from StateImpact.
School choice. Seats are still open for some Pinellas County programs. Gradebook.
Student Safety. The Hillsborough School Board is set to vote on a planned settlement for the family of a student with a neuromuscular disorder, who stopped breathing during a bus ride. Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Tribune.
Transportation. Hernando County schools officials prepare to revamp their bussing plans. Tampa Bay Times. Hillsborough school board candidates make transportation an issue. Tampa Tribune.
Biometrics. The Senate approves a ban on data collection that makes some accommodations for school districts. Florida Current. Gradebook.
Special guests. Jacksonville elementary schools students get lessons in life, and rap, from a civil rights activist. Florida Times-Union.
Politics. A Tampa high school becomes the latest backdrop for Gov. Rick Scott's crusade for lower college tuition. Tampa Bay Times.
Public-school choice. A plan to create public-school choice throughout Duval County divides the school board, the Florida Times-Union reports. Some board members warn of "unintended consequences." WJXT. More from First Coast News and WJCT.
Tax credit scholarships. The St. Augustine Record editorial board comes out against legislation that would expand the program.
School choice. A Sun-Sentinel op-ed tees off on the a range of choice options, arguing they run counter to the state constitutional provision requiring a "uniform" education system,.while a separate guest column argues choice programs open opportunities to minority students, and opposition is being fueled by unions.
Magnet schools. A student in the jazz band at an Osceola County arts magnet program advanced to a national competition. Orlando Sentinel.
Common Core. Gov. Rick Scott stands by the standards as opponents see a lack of action in the Legislature. Miami Herald.
Textbooks. Bill to put adoption decisions totally in district hands appears to be getting support in both chambers of the Legislature. Gradebook. Palm Beach County officials oppose it. Extra Credit.
Funding. The state's revenue picture got even better this week, and the Florida House wants to increase spending on public schools. Tampa Bay Times. Florida Current.
School boards. The Hernando school board approves a re-organization plan. Tampa Bay Times.
Teacher pay. A mediator's decision could pave the way for raises in Orange County. Orlando Sentinel.
Poverty. Blessings in a Backpack helps fight hunger among students in Seminole County. Sentinel.
