Common Core: The Buzz spots this: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush offers a challenge to state leaders who don’t like Common Core, saying they should embrace the challenge of raising their standards even higher. Human Events. State Rep. Karen Castor Dentel, D-Maitland, says Florida’s public schools should just opt out of standardized testing for a year. Florida Current. The Common Core State Standards are what our children need, and our children deserve no less, writes Greg Cunningham for The Gainesville Sun.
School choice: “I am a big supporter of the fact that based on everything we can observe about America, that choice and opportunity and competition always bring forward the best results,” writes state Rep. Bill Hager for the Sun Sentinel.
Rick Scott: The Florida governor fails the test when it comes to education, writes The Ledger. Scott’s decision to pull out of PARCC is bad financially, confuses the issue and delays the progress, writes the Fort Myers News-Press.
Civics 101: Palm Beach County students get a hands-on lesson in city government during Florida City Government Week. Palm Beach Post.
Andre Agassi: The tennis legend turned major charter school proponent is expected to attend a ribbon cutting for the largest charter school in Palm Beach County, which he helped build. Palm Beach Post.
School prayer: Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford says public high school football coaches should be allowed to pray with their teams, even if it means changing state law. Tampa Bay Times.
Name change: Some Orange County students at Colonial High want to keep their school’s name, while civic activists and others hope to change it to better reflect the diverse community. Orlando Sentinel.
Low performers: Duval County has 32 low-performing schools this year, tying one other district for the most priority schools in Florida. The stakes are high, and the time is short. Florida Times-Union.
Walkout: Parents at a Polk County School stage a walkout to protest ‘unacceptable’ conditions. ABC Action News. More from The Ledger.
Charter schools: A Broward County charter school faces closure after losing its home. Sun Sentinel. Representatives from key charter chains and school districts gather in Fort Lauderdale to form a task force and search for common goals. Miami Herald.
Safety net: Without a last-minute safety net, Central Florida’s annual school report card would have been much uglier, with 13 more F-rated schools and two dozen more D’s. Orlando Sentinel.
Pet policy: To bring pets into classrooms, Lake County teachers must ensure the critters “significantly contribute” to instruction, based on a proposed district policy. Orlando Sentinel.
New schools: Polk County Superintendent of Schools Kathryn LeRoy eyes a new middle school for a community where its schools only go to the fifth grade. The Ledger.
No FAIR: Duval County’s KIPP Voice Elementary Charter School wants to stop using the Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading, or FAIR, test for its kindergarten through fourth-grade students. Florida Times-Union.
Teachers: Jacqueline McCormick, the former Pine View teacher who was once recognized as the best educator in Sarasota County, dies. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Resource officers: Hillsborough and Pasco county elementary schools could see more full-time deputies on campus thanks to $1.2 million grants from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. The Tampa Tribune.
How will we be able to measure the performance & transition to CC without standardized testing??