Charter schools. Charter schools can give teachers a way to break through bureaucracy. Orlando Sentinel.
School choice. A public school controlled choice policy provokes controversy in the well-to-do enclave of Coral Gables. Miami Herald. New magnet schools are in the works in a reshuffling of Alachua schools. Gainesville Sun.
Administration. Florida names its principal of the year, an Orange County administrator who presided over a dramatic turnaround. Orlando Sentinel. The state's top assistant principal hails from Flagler. Daytona Beach News-Journal. The Palm Beach Post profiles a principal of a Catholic School preparing for its anniversary. A principal in the process of changing schools is reprimanded for spending money on her old school. Sun-Sentinel.
Testing. Gov. Rick Scott's testing announcement sparks confusion. Tampa Bay Times. Some districts say it will relieve testing burdens. Ocala Star-Banner.
Superintendents. Hillsborough's outgoing superintendent reminds well-wishers that elections have consequences. Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Tribune. Two districts may be on the verge of hiring a Manatee administrator as their chief. Bradenton Herald.
Pensions. Changes to the Florida Retirement System may once again be on the table in the Legislature. Tallahassee Democrat.
Charter schools. The Duval school board prepares to close a struggling charter school and transfer 70 students. Florida Times-Union. The Bradenton Herald checks in with a high-profile all-boys charter school.
Teaching. The Pinellas school district plans to spend $1 million to improve classroom management at struggling elementary schools. Tampa Bay Times.
Public opinion. School choice advocates release a poll finding strong national support for charter schools, vouchers and other educational options.
Superintendents. Volusia's superintendent, under fire, may be headed for the exits. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Palm Beach's outgoing Wayne Gent applies to lead a nearby district. Sun-Sentinel. Palm Beach Post. Hillsborough's ousted MaryEllen Elia is feted by county commissioners. Tampa Tribune.
Lawsuits. An Escambia school board member writes a column critical of the lawsuit challenging Florida school choice programs. Watchdog.org.
Bullying. An Orlando bullying victim creates a professional quality anti-bullying music video. Sentinel School Zone.
School calendars. Okaloosa's superintendent proposes doing away with early release days. Northwest Florida Daily News.
Charter schools. A key lawmaker files a bill to give district schools some of the flexibility enjoyed by charter schools in exchange for greater academic accountability. Sentinel School Zone. Gradebook. The Duval school board may vote to terminate a small, struggling charter school. Florida Times-Union.
Curriculum. Angry parents weigh in on district textbook decisions during a marathon school board meeting in Collier County. Naples Daily News.
Superintendents. The Hillsborough school board votes to terminate MaryEllen Elia, the award-winning but embattled superintendent of one of the country's largest school districts. Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Tribune. WTSP. WFTS. Business groups had rallied around her. Tampa Tribune.
School choice. Open enrollment begins in Lee County. Naples Daily News. Fort Myers News-Press.
Charter schools. New checks on charter schools join testing among South Florida districts' top legislative priorities. Sun-Sentinel.
Curriculum. A showdown over textbooks in Collier schools could be a preview of controversies elsewhere. Naples Daily News.
Teachers. The first year in the classroom proves exhausting but fulfilling for a teacher profiled by the Orlando Sentinel in an article highlighting challenges with teacher turnover. Orange County teachers will get raises and bonuses under a new contract. Orlando Sentinel.
Superintendents. Hillsborough Superintedent MaryEllen Elia faces political pressure despite winning plaudits from her peers around the country. Tampa Bay Times. Her potential ouster could cost the district $1 million. Tampa Tribune. Tampa Bay Times. Accolades don't always insulate district leaders from hostile school boards. Tampa Bay Times. A one-month contract extension could net Palm Beach's superintendent $19,000 in pension benefits. Palm Beach Post.
Testing. People who support school choice but oppose parents opting out of high-stakes tests are being hypocritical, Tampa Bay Times columnist John Romano argues. Parents need to help students prepare for new assessments, Gadsden County's superintendent says. Havana Herald, via Gradebook.
STEM. Students at Title I schools in Palm Beach County take part in neuroscience labs. Palm Beach Post.
Allegations. Volusia schools officials investigate allegations that district employees went out for a night on the town paid for by an instructional materials vendor. Daytona Beach News-Journal. An investigation clears Lee County's superintendent of wrongdoing. Fort Myers News-Press.
School choice. National School Choice Week will begin its celebrations next week in Jacksonville. Florida Times-Union. WJXT. redefinED. The fight for school choice recalls past civil rights struggles, Rev. H K Matthews writes in the Fort Myers News-Press.
Advanced placement. Four Florida school districts and two Catholic dioceses get recognition for results in Advanced Placement courses. Gradebook.
Testing. Lawmakers have more questions for state officials about testing. Palm Beach Post. Gradebook. Sentinel School Zone.
School boards. The Miami-Dade school board considers filing suit over tax shortfalls. Miami Herald. Gov. Rick Scott is eyeing replacements on the Miami-Dade board for now-Congressman Carlos Curbelo. Naked Politics. .
State board. Scott also has a seat to fill on the state Board of Education after the resignation of Ada Armas. Gradebook.
Budgets. Scott touts his school funding plans in South Florida. Sun-Sentinel. Duval schools look forward to a funding boost. Florida Times-Union.
Superintendents. A faceoff is brewing over the future of Hillsborough's MaryEllen Elia. Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Tribune. Tampa's mayor weighs in on her behalf. Times. A Volusia school board member outlines why he's seeking to oust the superintendent there. Daytona Beach News-Journal. The Sun-Sentinel and Palm Beach Post analyze the Palm Beach district's coming search for a new leader.
Magnet schools. Broward officials consider making some programs all-choice. Sun-Sentinel.
School choice. Marion schools move to a new open-enrollment policy. Ocala Star-Banner.
PLSAs. A family explains how Florida's new Personal Learning Scholarship Accounts will help them educate their daughter. EdFly. The program is administered by scholarship funding organizations like Step up For Students, which co-hosts this blog.
Teacher evaluations. Florida lawmakers want to revisit the percentage of teacher evaluations derived from test scores. Gradebook.
NCLB. The main federal K-12 education statute, most recently dubbed No Child Left Behind, is due for a rewrite and could soon get one. Where does Florida's Congressional delegation stand? StateImpact.
Testing. Hillsborough officials say they don't want exaggerated testing fears to affect children. Tampa Bay Times. Lee school board members want lawmakers to cut back on testing. Fort Myers News-Press.
Common Core. Protests against the standards come to the Collier County school board. Naples Daily News.
Careers. The Flagler school district creates a job pipeline for students by working with local businesses. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Lawsuits. The Florida Education Association says it will drop one of its school choice lawsuits. Associated Press. News Service of Florida. Palm Beach Post. Saint Petersblog. Scripps/Tribune. Times/Herald. redefinED.
Rankings. A change in criteria sends Florida tumbling in Education Week's Quality Counts rankings. redefinED. Tampa Bay Times. Orlando Sentinel. Tampa Tribune. Palm Beach Post. Associated Press. Gradebook. StateImpact. WFSU. US News & World Report.
Charter schools. South Florida lawmakers file bills to restrict proposed new charter schools. Palm Beach Post.
Teacher pay. Sen. Darren Soto, D-Orlando, files a bill that would raise minimum teacher pay to $50,000 per year. StateImpact. News Service of Florida. Palm Beach Post.
School choice. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel publishes a rundown of different school options parents might consider.
Superintendents. Hillsborough's teachers union leader sticks by her superintendent. Gradebook. Palm Beach schools plan a national search for a new leader. Palm Beach Post.
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.
In the wake of a second scuttled application to open a charter school for families at Tampa's MacDill Air Force Base, the Hillsborough County school district signed off on a plan to expand one of its schools on the base.
The withdrawal of the charter application on Monday was the latest setback to an effort for open a charter school at families families who work at the home of U.S. Central Command.
It started last year with strong backing of the base's commander, whose two-year tenure ended in August. The ensuing saga, in which the district turned away one charter application and was poised to reject another, set off broader discussions about the educational needs of military families, drew the attention of state lawmakers and fanned a debate about charter school governance.
The Hillsborough County School Board closed the book on the latest chapter Tuesday, when it approved an expansion of Tinker Elementary School, which is located on the base.
Supporters of the charter school effort had cited, among other things, a desire for families on the base to have access to a middle school. The plan approved by the board would expand the district's elementary school to grades K-8.
John Schueler, the president of the Tampa Bay Defense Alliance, was on hand to support the district's plan. He told the school board after two and a half years of looking for ways to accommodate parents on the base, "we came to a conclusion that we are very supportive of."
"This has been one of those things that has not been easy, but the conclusion has been satisfactory for the students that will be at the MacDill Air Force Base," he said.
Charter schools. The Sun-Sentinel castigates charters in an editorial calling for more regulation. The Palm Beach Post looks at a local charter with high test scores.
Tax credit scholarships. The Orlando Sentinel does a Q&A on expanded eligibility.
Home education. A Christian school aims to support parents who homeschool their children with a new part-time program. Palm Beach Post.
Vouchers. The Sun-Sentinel criticizes McKay Scholarships in an editorial calling for stricter regulation.
Discipline. The Tampa Bay Times looks at a federal investigation into Hillsborough's handling of discipline for minority students.
Superintendents. The Tampa Bay Times looks back at the Hernando superintendent's first year. Hillsborough school board candidates focus on current superintendent MaryEllen Elia. Tampa Tribune.
Campaigns. Teachers jump into Volusia school board races. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Voters are split on a Brevard tax referendum. Florida Today.
Corporal punishment. Santa Rosa schools do away with corporal punishment. Pensacola News-Journal. Northwest Florida Daily News.
Administration. A study of effective principal supervisors comes to Broward. StateImpact. A Broward school district attorney worked with a lapsed law license. Sun-Sentinel.
Facilities. The Pinellas school district demolishes Largo High. Tampa Bay Times.
School boards. A Manatee County consent agenda leads to a glitch. Bradenton Herald.
Alternative schools. The Hernando school district prepares to consolidate two academies aimed at struggling students. Tampa Bay Times.
English Language Learners. Polk schools hire 22 bilingual teachers. Lakeland Ledger.
