Tax credit scholarships. The Tampa Tribune comes down in favor of the expansion bill. The testing issue for tax credit scholarships is complicated. Gradebook. As she has many times before, Jacksonville's Julie Delegal says valid comparisons to public school students can't be made when tax credit scholarship students take similar but not the same standardized tests. Florida Today. GTN TV does a story on the bill. So does Watchdog.org. News Service of Florida asks Gov. Rick Scott about what he said last year regarding scholarship students and testing. (The scholarship program is administered by Step Up For Students, which co-hosts this blog.)

Charter schools. A Q&A with the new principal of the University Prep charter school in St. Petersburg. Tampa Bay Times. WMNF's "Urban Cafe" show interview the principal of Seminole Heights High School, a charter school for 16- to 21-year-old males who want a "fresh chance" at earning a high school diploma. (Starts about the 8 minute mark.) A Palm Beach County School Board member suggests a multi-million dollar marketing campaign to stem the tide of students leaving for charter schools. Palm Beach Post.

Common Core. Despite claims, many textbooks are NOT aligned to Common Core. Tampa Bay Times. Common Core standards are in use in art classes, too. Tampa Tribune. How the Common Core rollout is going in Florida middle schools. StateImpact Florida.

Pre-K. Kids who participate are more ready for kindergarten than those who don't. School Zone.

School choice.  Parents, choose carefully. Tampa Bay Times. Probably better, for now, that the Palm Beach County school district expand its existing choice programs rather than go to "full" district choice. Palm Beach Post.

Parents. They must be challenged to help, early and often. Pensacola News Journal.

Accountability. EdWeek logs in Sen. Bill Montford's "pause" bill.

Teacher evals. VAM scores could lead to unfair ratings. Florida Times Union. The state should chuck its eval system and let districts come up with something better. Tampa Bay Times.

Testing. Some teachers didn't appreciate the ed commish's letter on testing for special needs students. Gradebook. Conflict between FCAT and Passover. Gainesville Sun. (more…)

Tax credit scholarships. The bill to expand the state's tax credit scholarships program passes its first committee on a party-line vote. redefinED. More from the Halifax Media Services, Miami Herald, Associated Press, The Florida Current, News Service of Florida, WFSU, Palm Beach Post. Faith leaders and their supporters from across Florida gather in the Capitol to support the bill. redefinED. The Ledger doesn't like it. The Citrus County Chronicle profiles a school choice mom.

Charter schools. The group behind a proposed charter school at MacDill Air Force Base withdraws its application and says it will resubmit. Tampa Tribune. Tampa Bay Times. New one in Palm Bay celebrates its opening. Florida Today.

Digital learning. Computer class instead of PE? Orlando Sentinel.

Home schooling. Home schooler wins Lee County spelling bee. Fort Myers News Press. Naples Daily News.

Common Core. Two retired U.S. Army generals push for Common Core. School Zone.

Obama. The president is set to visit a Miami-Dade high school today to give a major speech on education and the economy. Miami Herald.

School spending. The superintendent of the Manatee County School District calls for an investigation into the financial practices under former superintendent Tim McGonegal. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald Tribune. (more…)

Tax credit scholarships. On his blog The Fine Print, the AP's Gary Fineout lists the "voucher" testing debate as one of the five biggest questions of the session. The Times/Herald takes a look at the "powerful political forces" supporting school choice scholarships. (The tax credit scholarships program is administered by Step Up For Students, which co-hosts this blog.)

School choice. Palm Beach County School District considers expanding district choice. Palm Beach Post. South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Teacher unions. StateImpact Florida talks with FEA President Andy Ford about this year's legislative priorities.

Teacher conduct. A former Pinellas high school teacher is sentenced to three years in prison for having sex with a 16-year-old student. Tampa Tribune. Bradenton police are investigations accusations that a Manatee County School District middle school PE coach inappropriately touched female students. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald Tribune.

Testing. Tampa Bay Times columnist John Romano both praises and pans Education Commissioner Pam Stewart's position on testing students with disabilities. Big changes coming for the SAT. Associated Press. (more…)

Virtual schools. Florida Virtual School is developing an online course for teachers about online teaching. Getting Smart.

Magnet schools. Raising re-segregation concerns? ActionNewsJax.com.

Career academies. Alachua holds its annual forum. Gainesville Sun.

Charter schools. A charter school in Palm Beach County is starting a STEAM Academy. Palm Beach Post.

Common Core. So PARCC maybe sorta kinda isn't really out of the running after all. Education Week. Common Core critics continue to push. Gradebook. Some conservative groups aim to channel Common Core opposition into school choice support. Politico.

Turnaround schools. State officials see good and not-so-good in Pinellas. Gradebook.

School spending. Manatee puts together a comprehensive plan to address fiscal errors identified in audits. Sarasota Herald Tribune.

School facilities. Parents at a Sarasota elementary say something at the school is making their kids sick. Sarasota Herald Tribune.

Principals. A Florida TaxWatch analysis lists the six best in the state, based on math and reading gains. Five are in Miami-Dade. Miami Herald. The Buzz. The Florida Current. One's in Pasco. Gradebook. (more…)

Education commissioner. The Florida Board of Education appears poised to hire interim commissioner Pam Stewart to permanently replace Tony Bennett instead of launching the third search in two years. Associated Press. Common Core, school grades and new tests aren't on the agenda. Miami Herald.

Common Core. Lawmakers face growing resistance as they return to Tallahassee next week for the first round of committee hearings in advance of the 2014 session. StateImpact Florida. Common Core will be the bedrock Florida needs for a world-class education, writes former Florida Board of Education member Roberto Martinez in the Miami Herald. The Naples Daily News writes up state Rep. Debbie Mayfield's bill to halt Common Core.

Charter schools. Lawmakers should drop the model charter school contract and give districts more say over charter applications. Orlando Sentinel. The Palm Beach County school district moves to immediately shutter a troubled charter where a student allegedly went missing for a few hours. Palm Beach Post. The Sarasota Military Academy charter school offers a firearm safety course. Sarasota Herald Tribune.

Private schools. A new private school for students with disabilities opens in Sarasota, with student funding coming from McKay vouchers. Bradenton Herald.

Education spending. The Florida Board of Education's proposed budget calls for $15.1 billion in spending next year, $65.3 million less than the current spending plan. StateImpact Florida. The Pasco school board will consider a budget that is $1.079 billion, up 5.11 percent from last year. Gradebook. In Lake, impact fees aren't keeping up with growth. Orlando Sentinel.

Teacher pay. Pinellas Superintendent Mike Grego touts $32 million worth of teacher pay raises this year in a new video. Gradebook. Hillsborough teachers and support staff could get 4 percent raises under a tentative deal with the district. Tampa Tribune. Leon teachers ratify a new contract that includes a $2,182 across-the-board pay raise. Tallahassee Democrat. (more…)

Common Core: The new national education standards are attracting opposition and causing a rift among Republicans. Miami Herald. Parents can expect more project-based homework, group work in class and less multiple-choice tests thanks to Common Core State Standards. Sun Sentinel. More from the Miami Herald. Parents: This school year will be the last time your student has to take the FCAT. Probably. Palm Beach Post. Treasure Coast educators say the curriculum this year will be a blend of current and new standards. TC Palm.

Charter schools: Florida's auditor general calls for increased oversight of charter schools after report shows an increase in the number operating at a deficit. In Broward County, 17 of 73 charter schools ended the 2011-12 financial year in the red. In Palm Beach County, it was four out of 35 schools. Sun Sentinel. Pembroke Pines considers selling a highly-contested 43-acre property to Discovery Schools to build a charter school. Sun Sentinel. Duval County's charter schools have tripled from seven in 1999 to 21 today with enrollment jumping from 609 in 2003 to more than 7,500. Florida Times-Union.

Parents: The Tampa Tribune looks at what some education experts say has the biggest impact on a child's academic success.

Scheduling snafu: An open house at Olsen Middle School in Dania Beach leaves parents and students waiting long hours in line to fix class schedules. Miami Herald.

Special needs: Unicorn Village Academy opens in West Boca and caters to students with autism and other learning differences. Sun Sentinel. Federal funding cuts hit home for Polk County's ESE students. The Ledger.

Bus battle: A blind Lake County mom wins her battle to get her visually impaired 5-year-old son on a bus to his district school. Orlando Sentinel.

International learning: Students from China are attending the Community School of Naples in Lee County, part of an international education program. Naples Daily News.

School security: Hillsborough County students and parents are greeted with tightened security as they head back to class, with controlled access about to be the norm at all 215 district schools. The Tampa Tribune.

Conduct: Manatee County Superintendent Rick Mills says the district still does not have a plan to replace three assistant principals charged with felonies in a recent investigation. Bradenton Herald. (more…)

Libraries: Five Miami-Dade County technical school libraries will open to the public starting the first day of school to offset expected budget cuts. Miami Herald.

Back pay: An arbitrator tells the Broward school district it owes high school teachers hours of back pay for teaching an additional class period last school year. Sun Sentinel.

Higher ed: Florida’s next higher education Chancellor will inherit a job that requires a soft touch, keen political savvy and the dexterity to manage many bosses. Miami Herald.

Tony Bennett: His last-minute changes to Indiana's school grading formula benefitted 165 Indiana schools. StateImpact Florida.

School support: Hernando County parents support Eastside Elementary as it works to improve its F grade from the state this year. Tampa Bay Times.

Teachers: StateImpact Florida looks at why teachers leave the classroom.

Business help: Polk County schools Superintendent Kathryn LeRoy pushes businesses to get involved with improving district schools. The Ledger.

School board: Former Duval County School Board member Betty Burney is cleared from any wrongdoing in a vote benefitting a company that once employed her sister. Florida Times-Union. (more…)

Report cards: Palm Beach County second-graders won't see traditional A-F grades on report cards this year as the district moves toward a standard-based system. Sun Sentinel.

Charter schools: There are already 40 charter schools in Palm Beach County, serving 12,000 students, with another 11 set to open this fall. Palm Beach Post.

More magnets: Palm Beach County school board members want more arts high school and middle school magnet programs. Palm Beach Post.

Tony Bennett: Indiana school officials continue to investigate school grading manipulation that could result in changes to that state's system created by Tony Bennett. Associated Press.

Back to school: One of Central Florida's largest back-to-school events, which has drawn 30,000 people, will be held this year at the Citrus Bowl. Orlando Sentinel. 

FCAT: "Don't, don't, don't focus on the FCAT," Pasco County schools Superintendent Kurt Browning tells the staff at Lacoochee Elementary, a D school tapped by the state for a turnaround. "I don't care about FCAT. I don't." Tampa Bay Times.

Teacher conduct: A special-education specialist fired for her role in a high-profile scandal is reinstated by the Miami-Dade School Board. Miami Herald. Another Manatee County school administrator is placed on paid leave during an ongoing investigation into a former football coach accused of groping students. The Tampa Tribune. More from the Bradenton Herald.

Library cuts: The Miami-Dade School Board may open some of the district’s libraries after hours to offset the closure of some 14 facilities. Miami Herald. (more…)

Jeb Bush on Tony Bennett: "Tony will be sorely missed in Florida at a time when we need his leadership the most,'' writes former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Miami Herald.

School grades: The fall of Tony Bennett might bring a new level of scrutiny to grading systems across the country. Education Week. There must be total transparency in any school accountability process, writes Nina Rees, executive director of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, in U.S. News & World Report.

More fallout: Dale Chu, chief of staff to Tony Bennett, resigns. Associated Press.

PARCC: Top Florida lawmakers will continue their push to abandon the PARCC testing consortium. Tampa Bay Times.

Teen work: Lauderdale Middle School students have received more than $500,000 in grants to spruce up an overpass behind their school. Sun Sentinel.

Charter schools: Even as 11 new charters open this fall in Palm Beach County, the district has another 31 applications in the pipeline. Palm Beach Post.

Magnet schools: The Pinellas County school district looks to bolster career and technical education and help low-performing schools by offering new magnet programs at middle schools. The Tampa Tribune. (more…)

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…)