Charter schools: Pinellas County School Board members give district attorneys the go-ahead to look into suing the state for a new law that creates uniform charter school contracts. The Tampa Tribune. 

Virtual schools: Starting next month, after 16 years of providing a distance-learning option to students in kindergarten through 12th grade, Florida Virtual School will offer several courses for adults. The Tampa Tribune.

Science ed: Polk County's public and private schools take different routes when teaching the concepts of evolution, creation. The Ledger. Even as politicians and educational leaders pledge allegiance to science, many Americans are skeptical about key tenets of scientific orthodoxy. The Ledger. A Cocoa science teacher is named by President Obama as one of 102 teachers in the country to receive the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Florida Today.

School safety: Since the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy and the 27 school shootings that followed, Escambia and Santa Rosa county school officials are trying to restore a sense of security to parents, teachers and students. Pensacola News-Journal.

Name change: An about-face decision by a new seven-member Duval County School Board to drop the name of a high school that honored a Confederate soldier and former Klu Klux Klan member leaves activists wondering what other changes are possible now. Florida Times-Union.

School grades: When the state reworks its school grading system, Collier County's superintendent is hopeful the bar will be raised and fairness also will prevail. Naples Daily News. All five Hernando County high schools saw their grades drop. Tampa Bay Times. It is time to overhaul Florida's school grading system, which has been so tweaked and massaged as to be divorced from reality, writes the Tampa Bay Times.

Pay raises: An increase in administrator pay recently approved by the Santa Rosa County School Board is not sitting well with some teachers in the district. Pensacola News-Journal. Treasure Coast school leaders struggle to overhaul teacher pay based on performance. TC Palm.

Tony Bennett: The Indianapolis charter school at the center of Indiana’s grade-changing scandal saw its grade drop from an “A” to an “F.'' Associated Press.

The best of 2013: StateImpact Florida looks at the year's top education stories.
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Charter schools: University Preparatory Academy in Pinellas County names a new principal, a public school transformation coach from North Carolina. Tampa Bay Times. The Lake Wales Charter Schools board of trustees approves a pay bump for more than 400 instructional and non-instructional personnel. The Ledger.

Magnet schools: Pinellas County School Board members explore reopening two shuttered schools, turning them into technology centers. The Tampa Tribune.

FCAT: Five standardized test makers formally apply to help create a replacement for the FCAT by 2015, and a sixth also wants to be considered for the job. Orlando Sentinel.

GED: StateImpact Florida looks at the growing alternatives to the GED.

Lobbyists: Contract extensions of two longtime lobbyists that the Palm Beach County School Board approved and then rescinded are back before the board. Palm Beach Post.

Outsourcing: The Broward County School Board will vote today on the first big piece of its construction outsourcing plan that already is generating controversy. Miami Herald.

Job switch: Hernando County's superintendent moves her assistant superintendent to the district's manager of warehouse and purchasing. Tampa Bay Times.

Wish lists: The Polk County School Board offers up its legislative priorities, with a "critical needs'' tax at the top of the list. The Ledger. (more…)

Charter schools: The Hillsborough school district should expand its elementary on MacDill Air Force Base to accommodate middlerschoolers, and satisfy needs of a growing military population, writes Dan Ruth for the Tampa Bay Times. Leaders of The Schools of McKeel Academy say they do not need to rush into hiring a new superintendent. The Ledger. Officials with the JAX Chamber make an agreement with the Duval County school district to help find paid internships to high school juniors and seniors. Florida Times-Union.

Magnet schools: Pinellas school board gives its initial approval to a district plan to reopen two shuttered schools as technology magnets. Tampa Bay Times.

Digital learning: Students at two Orange County elementary schools will begin toting their own laptops and tablets to school in January as the district tries out a "Bring Your Own Device" program. Orlando Sentinel. Collier County's implementation of Bring Your Own Device has been deemed a success by administrators. But some parents still are resisting the move. Naples Daily News.

IB: Another Sarasota County high school will offer an International Baccalaureate diploma program. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

District schools: Manatee County looks to streamline its operations. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

School safety: A year after 20 children and six adults were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., Central Florida school districts say their heightened security efforts have become the new normal. Orlando Sentinel.  Rhema Thompson honors those who lost their lives at Sandy Hook by remembering the "acts of love by individuals in our community.'' Pensacola News-Journal.

Audits: The latest review of Manatee County school district's finances turns up more problems. Bradenton Herald.

Tony Bennett: ACT hires former Florida education commissioner Tony Bennett as a consultant for the new test tied to Common Core standards the company is developing. Education Week.

Student arrests: Pinellas school officials follow their Broward counterparts and look at a new policy that results in fewer students getting arrested. The Tampa Tribune.

Teacher awards: Pinellas County Schools announces 10 finalists for the annual teacher of the year award. Tampa Bay Times.

Teacher raises: The Palm Beach County School District and its teachers finally reach a tentative agreement to give teachers raises averaging about $2,200 this year. Palm Beach Post.

Conduct: A Santa Rosa County high school is arrested for bringing a toy handgun on campus that leads to a lockdown. Pensacola News-Journal. A Lee County middle school student is suspended after another student reports that he touched her inappropriately. Fort Myers News-Press. A Manatee County substitute teacher is arrested after he allegedly grabbed a student and dragged him out of a classroom. Bradenton Herald.

Career academy: Some Pasco County high school students will learn to fly drones when their school launches an aviation career academy in conjunction with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The Tampa Tribune.

Charter schools: Pinellas County school board members approve the school district's first virtual charter school. The Tampa Tribune. Hillsborough school officials vote down a charter school for MacDill Air Force Base. redefinED. More from The Tampa Tribune and Tampa Bay Times. The Hillsborough County School Board made the correct decision in denying an application for a charter school at MacDill Air Force Base, writes the Tampa Bay Times. As the Miami-Dade School Board looks to improve its grip on charter schools, a new national report shows that Florida’s network of independent schools is expanding faster than anywhere else in the U.S. Miami Herald. Orange County school district ties for 10th nationally for "highest growth" in charter school enrollment the past two years. Orlando Sentinel. School board members receive a recommendation to deny approval of the South Lee County Florida High School for Accelerated Learning, but they vote to wait another month on a final ruling. Naples Daily News.

District schools: To help compete with a growing array of school options, Broward County plans its first online technical high school, three new preK-8 schools, and an overhaul of six failing elementary schools. Sun Sentinel. Four struggling Lee County schools get an extended school day starting in the new year. Fort Myers News-Press.

Honors classes: Starting next school year, incoming freshmen in Pinellas County high schools may find that honors classes carry less weight for their GPA than AP, IB and dual-enrollment classes. The Tampa Tribune.

Teacher evals: Calls to push back the deadlines are getting louder. Tallahassee Democrat.

Common Core: The Pasco County school district plans a series of 13 community meetings to educate parents about the Common Core State Standards. The Tampa Tribune. (more…)

Charter schools: A proposed charter school for MacDill Air Force Base doesn't get the superintendent's approval, but the Hillsborough County School Board still could vote in favor of the project. redefinED. More from Tampa Bay Times and  The Tampa Tribune. Only about three months after opening its doors, west Boynton Beach charter school Franklin Academy is already on the hunt for a new principal. Palm Beach Post. The principal of Imagine Schools Lakewood Ranch in Manatee County returns to work after the State Attorney's Office determines she will not  face charges for failure to report suspected child abuse. Bradenton Herald.

Magnet schools: Pinellas County's superintendent proposes reopening two elementary schools, closed by the district just five years ago, as technology magnet schools. Tampa Bay Times.

Teacher evals: Count me among those skeptical that nearly 60 percent of Brevard teachers are “highly effective,” writes Matt Reed for Florida Today. Scholar Diploma and teacher evaluations are two state programs joining a long list of empty initiatives that accomplish nothing other than some politically appealing headlines for policymakers — some of whom might not be in office when the impacts hit, says the Naples Daily News. No evaluation system is perfect, but neither is every teacher. The public shouldn't stand for the kind of grade inflation for teachers that wouldn't be tolerated for students, says The Gainesville Sun.

School safety: More security guards are not needed in the Hillsborough public schools and could contribute to discrimination against minority students, says the American Civil Liberties Union. Tampa Bay Times.

Common Core: While the transition will be challenging, never before have our standards contained the coherence, rigor and depth of understanding the CCSS brings to us, writes teacher Peggy Brookins for the Ocala Star-Banner.

College prep: Survey results from the PISA show most of the nearly 2,000 Florida teenagers who took the test are “satisfied” with their schooling and feel they’ll be prepared for college as long as they put forth the necessary effort. On the other hand, Sunshine State students are more likely to skip school than their U.S. and international peers and nearly 30 percent say school “does little to prepare me for adult life.” Miami Herald. (more…)

Charter schools: Lee County administrators are putting greater scrutiny on charter applicants and state officials have tightened requirements to open schools. Naples Daily News.

School safety: The Broward school district has allowed police officers to live rent-free on some school grounds since the 1980s as a way to provide after-hours safety, but there's no proof the program is still effective. Sun Sentinel. A dozen educators from Pinellas and Hillsborough counties come to a martial arts studio to learn what they can do to stop a tragedy. The Tampa Tribune.

Teacher pay: It's time for the Palm Beach County school district and teachers union to sign an agreement for pay raises, writes Rick Christie for the Palm Beach Post.

Testing: Florida's next generation of standardized tests moves a step closer to adoption when the state gets a look at the players that want to create FCAT's replacement. Orlando Sentinel.  Are Florida high school students really as unprepared for the job market and college as recent PISA tests results suggest? Local and state civic and business leaders say yes, but educators are starting to address the problem. Tampa Bay Times. Changes to the GED are causing concerns. StateImpact Florida.

Teacher evals: Almost half of Polk County's classroom teachers receive a "highly effective" rating and the rest of evaluations that have been submitted so far are rated "effective.'' The Ledger. Rosy teacher evals contradict student progress. The Tampa Tribune.

After school: Pinellas County seeks college students to staff afterschool programs. Tampa Bay Times.

School spending: A group of community activists urges the Broward school district to reduce the costs of its in-house lawn mowing services by hiring an outside company. Sun Sentinel.

College prep: Too many students are arriving to college unprepared, writes Ed Moore, president and CEO of the Independent Colleges & Universities of Florida, for the Tampa Bay Times.
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Charter schools: A troubled Lee County charter school withdraws its application for a local campus, a month after Collier County board members ordered the closure of the company’s Immokalee campus due to widespread mismanagement. Naples Daily News. The fate of a charter school at MacDill Air Force Base will be decided next week. The Tampa Tribune. MacDill's proposal gets a preliminary No from the district due to concerns with the local governing board. Tampa Bay Times.

Private schools: Students from Seacrest Country Day Academy in Naples channel Secretariats owner during history lessons. Naples Daily News.

Career academy: A Pasco County district high school will launch a gaming technology career academy in the fall. Tampa Bay Times.

Cambridge: Cambridge college prep programs and exams are being introduced in several Orange County public schools. Orlando Sentinel.

Honors classes: Incoming freshmen in Pinellas County could find that their honor courses are worth a little less toward their grade-point averages than college-level courses offered at the high schools. Tampa Bay Times.

Teacher pay: Palm Beach County school and union officials continue working to hash out a salary plan before winter break. Palm Beach Post. Pinellas County Schools and its teachers union reach an agreement to pay teachers up to $29 an hour to work with students before and after school next year. Tampa Bay Times.

Athletic transfers: Suggesting the Lee school district is doing a disservice to student athletes if it fails to adopt stricter policies on athletic transfers implies that students shouldn’t pursue their dreams, that competition is a bad thing and that students should settle for what the system deals them — without question, writes Michael Smith for the Fort Myers News-Press. (more…)

Charter schools: Pinellas County's University Prep organizes a local board and moves forward in the search for a new principal. Tampa Bay Times. A proposal for a charter school on MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa still awaits a recommendation from Hillsborough district staff. Tampa Bay Times.  

Private schools: Florida Air Academy in Brevard County has done away with text books and moved to iPad-only classes. Florida Today.

Virtual school: The exponential growth Florida Virtual School and online learning have experienced will continue as we transform education worldwide, writes Julie Young for the Tallahassee Democrat.

Special needs: Special needs students in Hillsborough County are treated to music lessons. Tampa Bay Times.

Hydroponics 101: A Cape Coral high school's aquaculture and hydroponics class draws students from around Florida and even outside the state. Fort Myers News-Press.

Lawsuit: The Hillsborough County School Board will vote next week on a decision to pay more than $500,000 to the family of a special-needs child who drowned behind her Riverview middle school. Tampa Bay Times. More from The Tampa Tribune.

Quality teachers: The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida launches a fundraising campaign to raise $50 million to pay for more high-quality public school teachers in high-demand areas like math and science. Florida Trend.  (more…)

Teacher evaluations: Nearly every teacher in Broward and Palm Beach counties earns top marks last school year. Sun Sentinel. A majority of Brevard teachers earned the highest possible rating. Florida Today. The First Coast has more than 4,000 highly effective public school teachers. Florida Times-Union. 97.9 percent of teachers evaluated statewide are rated effective and highly effective, and less than 1 percent are unsatisfactory. Tampa Bay Times. The Florida Department of Education and the Florida Education Association have asked the First District Court of Appeal to rehear a case concerning whether teacher value-added model ratings are public record. Tampa Bay Times. No teacher in Pinellas County public schools received a poor rating last year. Tampa Bay Times. The state also releases district administrator eval results. StateImpact Florida. In Collier County, there are no bad teachers. Naples Daily News.

Charter schools: Two autistic sisters report being repeatedly sexually assaulted by older students at a West Palm Beach charter school. Palm Beach Post. A Miami-Dade charter school awards a $400,000 grant to an unaccredited private college - the charter's partner in a dual-enrollment program. Miami Herald.

District schools: A state audit of the Manatee County School District operational finances could cost the financially embattled administration $7.2 million. Bradenton Herald. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

New super: The Flagler County School Board announced a 15-member committee that will help steer the search for the district’s next superintendent. Daytona Beach News-Journal.

College ready: The percentage of high school graduates ready for college when they get there is increasing statewide and in the Tampa Bay region. Tampa Bay Times.

Early start times: A bill that would make it impossible for Florida high schools to start before 8 a.m. has brought new urgency to a debate that has gone on for years. The Tampa Tribune.

Pranks: A parent complaint prompts a Pasco middle school to clamp down on a slapping prank. Tampa Bay Times.

Homeschooling: A Florida woman who has been homeschooling her children is ordered by a judge to put them in public school after a guardian ad litem says she believes they would benefit from the socialization. Tampa Bay Times.

Charter schools: A Palm Beach County senator wants to narrow the mission of charter schools with a bill that would require charters meet “a specific instructional need or a need for additional educational facilities.” The Florida Current. Charter school administrators are now required to post the school’s annual budget and fiscal audit, the state grade and names of governing board members on their websites. Daytona Beach News-Journal. At Immokalee Community School, every parent has signed a contract to speak Spanish with their kids for at least 30 minutes a day, most days of the week. StateImpact Florida.

Magnet schools: With the opening of a new aviation academy, students at Clearwater High School soon will be able to graduate with a pilot's license - and a jump into the growing field of aviation and aerospace. Tampa Bay Times.

Private schools: Academy Prep Center of St. Petersburg is looking for a new leader after an announcement that its head of school is stepping down. Tampa Bay Times.

College credit: Duval County's strongest advanced high school programs may "seed" smaller accelerated or career courses at other district schools. Florida Times-Union. 

Achievement gap: Escambia County School District officials will soon be forming a new task force to help close the achievement gap among the district’s students. Pensacola News-Journal. (more…)