Tax credit scholarships. A vote to take up the House's school choice bill fails, leaving the issue to the final day of Florida's legislative session. Scripps/Tribune. Associated Press. RedefinED. It's one of five bills that could shape the sessions final hours, Gary Fineout writes.
Textbooks. The state adoption process remains alive in re-worked legislation bound for Gov. Rick Scott. Times/Herald. Scripps/Tribune. Reuters. Associated Press. School Zone. Palm Beach Post.
Whistle-blowers. A Leon County Schools administrator becomes a whistle-blower in an ongoing saga involving district construction contracts. Tallahassee Democrat. A Palm Beach County whistle-blower faced retaliation from the school district. Palm Beach Post.
Common Core. Supporters of the new standards tout their flexibility. Tampa Tribune.
Facilities. Broward schools consider an $800 million bond issue. Miami Herald.
Teachers. A Broward County man at the forefront of desegregation decades ago returns to the classroom to teach. Sun-Sentinel. Orange County teachers prepare to vote on raises. Orlando Sentinel.
Graduation. An FAU student could graduate before receiving her high school diploma. Sun-Sentinel.
Retention. Other countries have higher stakes than Florida's third-grade retention policy. StateImpact.
Budgets. The Pasco school district looks to rebuild support staffs after years of cutbacks. Tampa Bay Times.
Tax credit scholarships. The House passes legislation expanding access to the program to students with higher incomes. Associated Press. News Service of Florida. It's among a host of issues lawmakers expect to tackle after a week-long holiday break. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The Daytona Beach News-Journal scrutinizes the program in an article that states, incorrectly, that a failed 2012 state constitutional amendment would have "cleared the way" for private school vouchers. A second article also deals with religious schools. The program is administered by Step Up for Students, which co-hosts this blog.
Testing. Parents complain that FCAT conflicts with Passover. Tampa Bay Times. Students prepare to tackle the test one last time in English and math. StateImpact. Lakeland Ledger. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Tampa Tribune. Palm Beach Post. The stakes are high at an F-rated Miami-Dade middle school. Miami Herald. Collier schools are in a race against time to create new end of course exams. Naples Daily News. Lawmakers should get an earful from constituents on testing, including for students on tax-credit scholarships, Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell writes.
Virtual schools. A new blended learning model debuts in West Boynton Beach. Sun-Sentinel.
Magnet schools. A Montessori magnet in Fort Lauderdale marks a milestone. Sun-Sentinel. What was once a last-chance home for struggling students is now a career-education magnet program. Gainesville Sun.
Textbooks. A bill aimed at paring back the state's role in adopting instructional materials survives a narrow vote in the Senate. Associated Press. News Service of Florida. Gainesville Sun. Gradebook. Scripps/Tribune.
Student Privacy. A bill banning the collection of biometric data and other sensitive information is headed to Gov. Rick Scott. Scripps/Tribune. Ocala Star-Banner. Associated Press.
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.
