Lawsuits. Tax credit scholarship parents want a lawsuit challenging their program dismissed. redefinED. The program is administered by Step Up For Students, which co-hosts this blog. Watchdog.org looks at the dismissal of Florida's other school choice lawsuit, which could still be appealed.

Private schools. A former teacher of the year visits a Manatee Episcopal school. Bradenton Herald.

School choice. School choice is really about "parent equality," Patricia Levesque writes on the EdFly.

Teacher evaluation. Hillsborough union leaders call for a review of the district's Gates Foundation-backed teacher evaluation system. Gradebook. The school board may make changes. Tampa Tribune. Tampa Bay Times.

Testing. Standardized testing is on lawmakers' agenda. Sun-Sentinel. Sarasota schools purchase a new assessment tool. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Superintendents. Hillsborough's MaryEllen Elia may face a no-confidence vote. Tampa Tribune. Manatee's superintendent expects continued improvement at the district. Bradenton Herald.

Teacher conduct. A Leon County school employee is indicted on child pornography charges. Tallahassee Democrat.

School finance. Florida's strong credit rating brings good news for a big bond issue. Gradebook.

Administration. Manatee's human resources director resigns. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Advocacy. A Washington Post article looks at Jeb Bush and the education foundations he recently left.

Facilities. The Flagler school district looks for fixes to a troubled athletic club it controls. Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Presidential politics. Jeb Bush signalling he's taking a potential presidential bid seriously has the education world buzzing. Education Week. Context Florida. Tampa Bay Times.

Private schools. An Episcopal school plans to expand in Manatee County. Bradenton Herald.

Audits. Leon County school board member express concerns about a state audit that turns up multiple issues. Tallahassee Democrat.

Administration. The Lake County School Board opts to stick with its current superintendent. Orlando Sentinel. Broward school board members  look to rein in salaries for district staff. Sun-Sentinel. A new superintendent announces a hiring freeze. Gainesville Sun. A Manatee school board member questions a district hire. Bradenton Herald.

Testing. The Pasco school board asks for testing reprieve. Tampa Tribune. The Collier school board hears from parents on testing. Naples Daily News.

Employee conduct. A Marion charter school administrator gets an 80-year prison sentence in a sex abuse case. Ocala Star-Banner. A South Florida teacher loses his license in the wake of an inappropriate relationship with a student. Sun-Sentinel. A school registrar admits to making child pornography. Tallahassee Democrat.

School boards. A former Broward school board member with a corruption conviction has a plea for freedom rejected. Sun-Sentinel.

Budgets. Broward schools set up an oversight committee for the use of bond proceeds. Sun-Sentinel. The Brevard school board finds savings by restructuring debt. Florida Today.

Caring. Students reach out to a classmate after learning she has a rare illness. Palm Beach Post.

Ed Reform. Former Gov. Jeb Bush talks school choice, Common Core, and big-picture education issues with Education Next.

Charter schools. The Broward school board approves 13 charter applications, most of which replicate existing high-performing schools. Sun-Sentinel.

School choice. Applications open for Palm Beach district choice options. Palm Beach Post.

Reading instruction. StateImpact has more on Miami-Dade teachers' efforts to get kids reading.

Funding. Gov. Rick Scott's second-term pledges include more money for schools. Palm Beach Post. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Testing. Pasco's superintendent plans to become more vocal about testing. Tampa Bay Times.

(more…)

A prominent figure in Florida's education reform movement has been tapped to help oversee the largest private school choice program in the country.

Patricia Levesque last month was elected unanimously to the governing board of Step Up For Students, the non-profit that administers tax credit scholarships and Personal Learning Scholarship Accounts for more than 70,000 students (and co-hosts this blog).

Levesque is CEO of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, which Jeb Bush founded before he was elected Florida's governor.

Before joining the foundation in 2007, she was a key member of the legislative staff that helped enact Bush's first-term education agenda. She then joined the governor's office as an education policy adviser in 2002.

Doug Tuthill, president of Step Up, said Levesque was recruited for the position because she's "one of the country's leading thinkers when it comes to personalized learning," which he believes is important terrain for the future of education policy.

This year, she was an outspoken advocate for legislation creating the scholarship accounts, which gives families of students with significant special needs a way to pay for a mix of educational expenses, from therapies and private school tuition to curriculum and private tutoring.

"A more customized approach – whether choosing the school, supports or services that meet a child’s needs – is a good thing," Levesque said in a statement. "It breaks down barriers to success and gives parents the power to help their children reach their full potential.”

Florida is the second state to create a personal scholarship account program. Many advocates view similar programs as part of the next wave of parental choice.

Levesque joins an eight-member, all-volunteer governing board, which last year added former Democratic state Sen. Al Lawson.

Charter schools. The Plato Academy charter schools in Pinellas are academically knocking it out of the park. Tampa Tribune.

Tax credit scholarships. Senate President Don Gaetz, who pushed for stronger accountability and transparency in the program, says in an op-ed that as a former school board member he is "ashamed" of the Florida School Boards Association suit against tax credit scholarships. Northwest Florida Daily News. "An end-run around the will of the people," writes Walt Gardner in Edweek. Howard Fuller's call for the fight in Florida to go national gets some ink on Gradebook. Whitney Tilson says its sad to see Charlie Crist sell out Florida kids.

Common Core. Jeb Bush directs criticism to President Obama. Washington Post.

Satanists. They'll be handing out material in Orange County public schools this year. Orlando Sentinel.

Testing. Education Commissioner Pam Stewart drops a requirement for FAIR testing for students in K-2 after an Alachua County kindergarten teacher refuses to administer it. Tampa Bay Times. Miami Herald. Gainesville Sun. Florida Today. Answer Sheet. (more…)

The private school voucher Gov. Jeb Bush signed into law 15 years ago as part of his sweeping education reform was so quickly challenged and invalidated by the courts that its enduring significance is sometimes missed. Indeed, the Florida Opportunity Scholarship did not survive. But its children have grown like weeds.

The numbers are eye-popping: When the Florida Supreme Court tossed out the state’s first private voucher in 2006, it was serving 733 students. This past school year, three other scholarship programs adopted while Bush was governor reached more than 222,000 students. Throw in charter schools and that number exceeds 451,000.

In other words, one of every seven PreK-12 public education students last year attended a privately operated school.

As the governor’s Foundation for Excellence in Education takes a look back at the effect of the A+ Plan this month, it is rightfully focusing on the impact on traditional public schools. The plan’s laser focus, after all, is on academic standards and the learning gains of every student. It is driven by school grades based on student performance, and the resulting academic data created a momentum of its own.

As an editorialist for what is now called the Tampa Bay Times, I was among the progressives who chafed at the sweeping nature of the change and the abrupt partisan politics that made it possible. And yet the data was a punch in the gut. The Times had for decades been a faithful defender of a desegregation plan that put black and white children together on the same campuses, even as the burden fell disproportionately on black families. And yet A+ provided a disturbing reality check. It revealed that the gap in academic performance between black and white children in Pinellas remained shockingly wide. The A+ plan, among its other legacies, has forced all of Florida education to take that gap seriously.

In the 1999 Legislature, though, the biggest political scrap was over the voucher. Opportunity scholarships were tied to the new school grades under the law, and were available to any student who attended a district school that had two failing grades in four years. A lawsuit challenging the voucher was filed on June 22, 1999, the day after Gov. Bush signed the education reform into law.

As it turns out, that was only the beginning of Florida’s extraordinary transformation in parental empowerment. (more…)

Middle schools. Choice options - including charter schools that compete with the district's offerings - come into play as Duval officials rethink their approach to middle school. Florida Times-Union. Hernando County plans to start a new academy for middle-school students who are falling behind. Tampa Bay Times. A military academy aimed at middle school students is close to its enrollment goal. Ocala Star-Banner.

Magnet schools. A science academy teachers youngsters about marine life during trips down the St. Johns River. Florida Times-Union. Graduation marks the end of a difficult year for a Palm Beach County magnet program. Palm Beach Post. A Palm Beach high school is offering space for students who could not find space in the Dreyfoos School of the Arts, the Post reports.

Charter schools. A charter school for students with autism leaves the school district behind and hopes to join forces with a nearby private school. Gradebook.

Alternative schools. The Orange and Seminole County school districts both plan to create new options for students who fall behind in high school. Orlando Sentinel.

Unions. The Florida Education Association endorses Charlie Crist for governor. Sunshine State News. The Pasco teachers union negotiates planning time with the school district. Tampa Bay Times. The Brevard teachers union stakes out positions on a range of statewide issues but has yet to take a position on a local school tax. Florida Today.

Funding. Some advocates are calling for a revamp of the formula used to distribute education funding to school districts. WTSP. School districts worry funding increases might not keep pace with spending demands. Tampa Tribune.

(more…)

Common Core. Gov. Rick Scott signs a suite of bills aimed at responding to the controversy around the standards, as well as a school grading overhaul. Associated Press. News Service of Florida. Reuters. Jeb Bush pushes back against Common Core critics – again– during an appearance in New York. The Buzz.

Charter schools. Dual enrollment programs at some Miami-Dade charter schools allow students to graduate high school with a more advanced degree already in hand. WLRN.

Virtual schools. Pasco eSchool teachers seek relief from large classes. Gradebook.

No Child Left Behind. Officials defend the learning goals in the state Department of Education's strategic plan, which have come under fire from activists. Tampa Tribune. Sentinel School Zone.

Valedictorians. "With honors" and "with distinction" are set to replace the more exclusive honors once bestowed on Bay County high school graduates. Panama City News Herald.

Reading instruction. A shortage of books can be a limiting factor for students. Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Desegregation. StateImpact recalls its early days in Florida.

School safety. A state Representative who sponsored a bill that would have allowed certain school employees to carry guns said he intends to focus on adding resource officers at more campuses. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Arts. A private grant helps fund art, music and drama programs for low-income students. Sun-Sentinel. A high school band teacher joins students rallying to preserve a middle school program. Tampa Bay Times.

Transportation. Crowded bus rides to an International Baccalaureate campus are the latest flashpoint in the controversy over Hillsborough's bus system. Tampa Bay Times.

Pay raises. Orange County teachers begin voting on a new contract. School Zone.

School choice. Legislation expanding education options passes in the Florida House, while the Senate remains more cautious. Times/Herald.

Charter schools. The sponsor of the House's charter-school bill taps the breaks as he works on amendments. Florida Current. Palm Beach County officials give a school focused on African-American curriculum one last chance to stay open. Palm Beach Post.

Common Core. The standards will be coming soon to a theater near you. Orlando Sentinel. The statewide teachers union pushes back claims that the standards have been taught in Florida public schools since 2010. Gradebook.

Testing. An Orange County teacher donates his school-recognition bonus to a group that opposes high-stakes testing. Orlando Sentinel. Pasco County schools set up a new online system to help their students prepare for state end of course exams. Tampa Bay Times. Leon County Schools reschedule take-your-kid-to-work day to accommodate the state's testing schedule. Tallahassee Democrat.

Funding. How much did Gov. Rick Scott propose to cut education spending during his first year in office? PolitiFact. More education funding. lower taxes.  That's what's in the budget this year. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Jeb Bush. The Tampa Bay Times writes up his foundation's campaign touting Florida's education improvement. The former governor brings his show to Vegas. Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Capital needs. Lee County district officials say they need more funding for buildings to help them deal with enrollment growth. Fort Myers News-Press.

Tax credit scholarships. An advocate for the program, and vice president of Step Up for Students, which co-hosts this blog, withdraws his nomination to the Florida A&M University Board of Trustees. Times/Herald. Students in the program should be required to learn evolution, Brandon Haught, of Florida Citizens for Science, writes in a Tampa Bay Times guest column. Fund Education Now opposes the bill in an Orlando Sentinel guest column.

Charter schools. A group that caters to female students in Manatee County wins approval from Bradenton city officials. Bradenton Herald.

Common Core. The Foundation for Excellence in Education is promoting Common Core with video snippets featuring teachers. StateImpact Florida. Associated Press.

Budgets. A Pasco STEM school could get a boost from lawmakers. Gradebook.

Race to the Top. Florida is making progress in year three of its federal Race to the Top grant, but it faces some hurdles, including legal challenges around its teacher evaluation system.  Associated Press. Gradebook. Education Week looks at how various states are faring.

School boards. A legal dispute simmers between the Marion County School Board and the Ocala City Council. Ocala Star-Banner.

Employee Conduct. A school security worker faces child-abuse charges. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Teachers unions. The Pinellas teachers union elects a new president. Tampa Bay Times.

Spelling bees. Miami-Dade schools crown their winner, the Miami Herald reports.