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.
Image help: Officials halt the district’s partnership with the Disney Institute to develop a program to compete with charter schools and bolster its image among parents, citing a lack of time for training. Sun Sentinel.
Awards: A Brevard County high school student is traveling to Sweden to participate in Nobel Prize festivities. Florida Today.
Chess games: About 130 boys and 30 girls gather for the Palm Beach County school district chess tournament. Palm Beach Post.
Opportunity transfers: More Duval students use Opportunity Scholarships to transfer from failing schools to higher performing ones. The Florida Times-Union.
Common Core: A new documentary takes on the education standards. StateImpact Florida.
Homeless students: Project Heart matches six homeless and/or at-risk high school students with six mentors for help applying to college or technical school and mentor them as they earn degrees. Bradenton Herald.
