Frank Brogan: The outgoing Florida university system chancellor talks about Common Core, state grades and Tony Bennett. TCPalm.

Common Core: Polk County's new teachers get a primer on the new education standards during their district orientation. The Ledger.

Florida Virtual School: About 6,000 Polk County students took classes last school year through Florida Virtual School. Recent drops in enrollment statewide have resulted in teacher and staff layoffs. The Ledger. More from the Associated Press.

Early dismissal: Polk County's early dismissal days will be 1½ hours shorter this school year than last. The Ledger.

Safety: St. Johns County schools wants to limit each school to one entrance. St. Augustine Record.

First day: Summer is over for 86,000 Lee County students who are back in school. News-Press. More from Naples Daily News.

School supplies: Lipman and Pacific Tomato Growers hand out 1,400 back packs to needy Immokalee families. Naples Daily News.

More Bennett: Two more Tony Bennett hires, Anna Shultz and Katie Stephens, leave their Florida Department of Education posts. Tampa Bay Times. American Federation of Teachers and its Indiana affiliate request public records from the Indiana Department of Education, seeking all communications between Tony Bennett, Foundation for Excellence in Education, ALEC and others since 2009. School Zone. (more…)

Interim chief: Florida's chancellor of public  schools, Pam  Stewart, will step in again as interim education commissioner after Tony Bennett's resignation. The Buzz. Is all this hoopla a sign the top education post should be an elected position? The Buzz. And the Sun Sentinel editorialized, "Rather than a divisive leader, let's find a crusader who can rally disparate people around a common shared value: creating a prosperous future for Florida's children.'' More from John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times.

Hot mess: The Orlando Sentinel's Scott Maxwell writes that even before Tony Bennett resigned, we knew things were messed up with Florida education. Bennett's controversy casts a pall on school grading systems. Times/Herald. More from TCPalm and Tallahassee Democrat. "If the goal of school grades is to clearly communicate quality, then Florida has consistently earned an F,'' writes Mark Woods of the Florida Times-Union.

Civil  rights: The Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County and the Southern Poverty Law Center file a complaint alleging the state's race-based education goals for minority students violate civil rights law. Sun Sentinel.

Outreach: Broward County's South Plantation High School students start a website for socially isolated middle school students. Sun Sentinel. Miami's Edison High offers dual-language program in English and Creole. Miami Herald. A preschool for students with autism expands into an academy for 5- and 6-year-olds with the disorder. Miami Herald.

Charter schools: An F grade for Orange County's Renaissance Charter School at Chickasaw Trail could result in its parent chain, Charter Schools USA, losing its "high-performing'' status. Orlando Sentinel. Academica is taking over the small Somerset Bay at Pinewood Acres charter in East Kendall, but hasn't told residents how many students to expect. Miami Herald. Polk  County school district receives five new charter applications. The Ledger.

Career academies: The Miami-Dade school district hopes to start a Transportation Academy at three of its schools to meet projected growth of new jobs. Miami Herald. (more…)

Charter schools. A Palm Beach County School Board member questions whether it's appropriate to allow a charter school to stay in a district building that needs millions of dollars in renovations. Extra Credit.

Career education. Manatee students make a splash in two national competitions - one in technology, and the other for career and technical students. Bradenton Herald.

Rick Scott. A new web ad from the Republican Party of Florida highlights teachers who praise Rick Scott. StateImpact Florida, Gradebook.

School zoning. Alachua is looking for better ways to communicate with parents about exceptions that allow students to attend schools other than their zoned schools. Gainesville Sun.

School schedules. South Florida Sun Sentinel: "High school schedules in Broward County won't change next year despite an arbitrator's ruling this week that seven-period schedules violated a contract with the teacher's union." More from the Miami Herald.

School spending. Polk's athletic budget has been cut 22 percent since 2007. Lakeland Ledger.

School food. Districts respond to a federal crackdown on yummy stuff. Sarasota Herald Tribune. (more…)

Charter schools. They're becoming more involved in the political process, reports the Florida Times Union. The Bradenton Herald takes a look at the challenges ahead for Rowlett Elementary, the Bradenton magnet that's becoming a charter school. So does the Sarasota Herald Tribune. (Sidebar on other charter school conversions here.) The fledgling Ben Gamla charterschool  in Pinellas closes because of a dispute with its national board, reports the Tampa Bay Times. The Lake Wales Charter School system has more than 400 students on a waiting list for its middle school, prompting debate how to expand, reports the Lakeland Ledger.

Dual enrollment. Districts are chafing at having to pick up the tab, reports the Tampa Bay Times. More from the Northwest Florida Daily News.

School choice. The lottery process will be a topic for discussion at a school choice summit in Palm Beach County. Extra Credit.

Common Core. Training helps teachers instill love of math, reports StateImpact Florida. It's clear, concise and good for kids, says a teacher at a high-poverty school in this column by Karin Choweth at Ed Trust (H/T Tampa Bay Times).

Testing. The Happy Scientist raises questions about the science FCAT. Miami Herald.

Humanities. Don't forget them amidst the growing emphasis on STEM. Tampa Bay Times.

School technology. Hillsborough teachers like BYOD. Tampa Bay Times. (more…)

School grades. Low grades create more teacher turnover, a teacher columnist argues. StateImpact Florida.

Turnaround schools. Pushback in Pasco yields some flexibility from the state. Tampa Bay Times.

Charter schools. The League of Women Voters ask questions in Polk. Lakeland Ledger.

Common Core. Administrators are training for Common Core too. StateImpact Florida.

GPAs. A proposed change in how they're calculated in Pasco stirs debate. Tampa Bay Times.

Principals. St. Lucie will have 13 new ones in August. TCPalm.com.

Superintendents. Duval board members evaluate Superintendent Nikolai Vitti, reports the Florida Times Union. Alachua Superintendent Dan Boyd wins the Florida School Boards Association's President's Award, reports the Gainesville Sun. New Lee Superintendent Nancy Graham starts shaking up administrative staff, reports the Fort Myers News Press. More from the Naples Daily News.

School safety. A third custodian is considered a suspect in the shooting deaths of two custodians at a West Palm Beach high school. Palm Beach Post.

School spending. A Marion school board member suggests some controversial cost-savings ideas to save teacher jobs, including having staff clean their own schools and either shutting down or charging students to attend IB programs. Ocala Star Banner.

Reading. More than 100 residents turn out to kick off a reading mentoring program for kids in Fort Meade. Lakeland Ledger.

Charter schools. A circuit judge denies a Pasco charter school's expansion plan. Tampa Bay Times.

Virtual schools. A Fort Myers charter tells parents, wrongly, that they must pay $425 if their kids fail to complete Florida Virtual School classes. Associated Press.

Class size amendment. Students down, teachers up. Intercepts.

Ed schools. Florida State College at Jacksonville, one of five state schools rated substandard in NCTQ's new report, says the group got it wrong. StateImpact Florida.

Science. Florida should adopt science standards from California and/or Washington D.C. (and not the Next Generation Science Standards), says state Board of Education member John Padget. Gradebook.

Tech. Broward says it only has $16 million for $59 million worth of technology needs, reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Miami-Dade adopts a $63 million plan to ensure every student has access to a digital device by 2015, reports the Miami Herald.

Teacher conduct. A Hernando teacher is suspended for 10 days without pay for allegedly yelling at a student for several minutes, making disparaging racial remarks and throwing a backpack at his chest, reports the Tampa Bay Times. A Venice charter school principal accused of intimidation and bullying has resigned, reports the Sarasota Herald Tribune.

Tutors. Alachua opts to stop giving low-income parents the ability to choose private tutors. Gainesville Sun. (more…)

Common Core: Sen. John Legg tries to clear up confusion about the Common Core State Standards. Tampa Tribune.

Stepping down: An elementary school principal makes good on his threat to retire following an ethics complaint against a Palm Beach County school board member whose children attended the school. Palm Beach Post.

Going digital: Students at Cardinal Newman High, a private school with less than 700 students, will either lease an iPad from the school or buy their own and bring it in to school next year. Palm Beach Post. Lawmaker says state needs to phase out pencil-and-paper school tests and go digital. StateImpact Florida. Lakes Wales' charter school hosts technology summit - for teachers. Ledger.

Failing: Poor performance that is not acceptable at a charter school is just as unacceptable at other public schools, editorial notes. Tampa Bay Times.

CAPE: Pinellas County school board looks at district's career academies and number of student certifications. Tampa Tribune.

STEM camp: Hillsborough County is seeing more summer camps devoted to the teaching of science, technology, engineering and math. Tampa Bay Times.

Special Ed: Hillsborough County schools will use the summer to focus on special education needs and train workers, including aides and bus drivers. Tampa Bay Times.

Lawsuits: A mother sues the Pinellas County School Board, alleging her son was beaten so severely by other students that he had to have a testicle removed. Tampa Bay Times. An Atheist group sues the Orange County school district for blocking the distribution of pamphlets in schools. Orlando Sentinel. (more…)

School counselors: Lee County schools' tight budget has left the district with one school counselor to every 532 high students, one to 565 middle school students and one to 923 elementary students. The recommended ratio is 1-250 at every school level. News-Press.

Ivy league: This senior and farmerworker's son might be the first kid from rural LaBelle to go to an Ivy League college. News-Press.

High marks: Duval County schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti gives himself high marks on a self-evaluation after seven months on the job. Florida Times-Union.

New Super: Polk County's new schools Superintendent Kathryn LeRoy lays out her plan to improve academic achievement and address the budget deficit. Ledger.

Imagine: Recently-shuttered Imagine Charter School in St. Petersburg performed better on the FCAT this year than many other neighborhood schools, though scores remain extremely low. Tampa Bay Times.

Fired: Scott Kimbrough, a Seminole County teacher accused of having sex with two female students, has been fired. Orlando Sentinel.

Suspended: A first-grade teacher in Hernando County was suspended after an investigation into allegations that she yelled at a student, made disparaging remarks about him and hit him in the chest with a backpack. Tampa Bay Times.

Accreditation: Miami-Dade public schools is looking for districtwide accreditation from AdvancedED. Miami Herald.

Common Core: Education Commissioner Tony Bennett on the new national education standards: “I do believe that Common Core will be the hinge point where we get our focus back, especially in problem solving and critical analysis at the lower levels.” StateImpact Florida. (more…)

Going charter: An overwhelming number of parents and teachers voted in favor of converting Rowlett Magnet Elementary in Bradenton into a charter school. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. More from the Bradenton Herald.

Job cuts: Plans to cut and downgrade Polk County school district positions are put on hold. Ledger.

Budget fix: Residents tell a local newspaper how Polk County schools can offset its $12.7 million shortfall. One common solution: eliminate school board salaries. Ledger.

Black males: Broward County looks to figure out how to boost academic success of young black boys. Miami Herald.

Disney ED: Broward County schools hopes the Disney Institute can help the South Florida district make its schools a more pleasant place for students, parents, and district employees. Miami Herald.

In debt: Palm Bay Academy charter school in Brevard County is $12.2 million in debt and way behind on bond payments. Florida Today.

High demand: Sarasota County Technical Institute gets a new precision-machining lab that will help the school train students for high-skilled manufacturing jobs. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Music man: Flagler Beach music teacher Rodney Harshbarger is up for a national award. Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Outsourcing: Volusia County school district looks at using a private company for groundskeeper services to help plug a $19 million shortfall. Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Common Core: A quick primer on the new national education standards that have divided conservatives and created a backlash of criticism. Miami Herald.

Common Core. A new Florida group calls the Common Core standards "monstrous." Daytona Beach News Journal.

Black males. An endangered species in Florida, given the Schott Foundation's calculation of grad rates. Politics365.

Vals and sals. Hernando school board members tell Superintendent Brian Blavatt to reinstate the designations. Tampa Bay Times.

Graduation. Remembering the ones who are gone. Tampa Bay Times.

Teacher conduct. A Clay County teacher charged with child abuse enters a pre-trial diversionary program under a plea bargain, reports Florida Times Union. The Pasco principal accused of making anti-gay remarks is retiring, reports the Tampa Tribune. Polk is taking steps to fire a teacher who repeatedly lied about her health to avoid work, including claims of kidney stones, ovarian cysts and a brain condition, reports the Lakeland Ledger.

Teachers unions. Pasco union leader Lynne Webb says it's not the union's fault that contract negotiations have yet to begin. Gradebook. (more…)