Tax credit scholarships. Parents of children who receive scholarships answer critics in the Florida Times-Union and the Ocala Star-Banner. The program enhances public education, Doug Tuthill writes in the Miami Herald. He is the president of Step Up for Students, which co-hosts this blog. The president of the Alachua County League of Women Voters criticizes charters and vouchers in the Gainesville Sun. A school board member also criticizes tax credit scholarships in the Sun, focusing on religious education. State standardized testing requirements won’t appease all critics, but they might help the program in the long run, Paul Cottle writes at Bridge to Tomorrow.
School choice. Private and charter schools compete with magnet and career education programs in Palm Beach County, fueling a drive to create new options. Palm Beach Post.
Charter schools. Hillsborough officials are scrutinizing the boards that oversee schools managed by Charter Schools USA as lawmakers debate charter legislation. Tampa Tribune. The management group Academica faces federal scrutiny. Miami Herald. The Volusia County school district prepares to end a long legal battle with a failed charter school. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Dropout prevention. Pinellas schools plan a new alternative school aimed at at-risk students. Tampa Tribune.
Digital learning. Replacing old computers won’t be cheap for Marion County schools. Ocala Star-Banner. Technology helps a Southwest Florida teacher enhance instruction. Naples Daily News.
Discipline. Kindergarten students face increased suspensions, which disproportionately affect minorities. Florida Times-Union.
Testing. A computer glitch affects FCAT administration in Miami-Dade schools. Miami Herald. A group of parents and teachers protests high-stakes testing. Fort Myers News-Press. Even at the height of FCAT season, educators say kids need a chance to get outside and play. Tampa Bay Times.
Politics. There’s no question Charlie Crist had a hand in implementing Gov. Jeb Bush’s education agenda. The real mystery is who’s funding the new ads that say so. PolitiFact.
Special needs. Pinellas school district officials talk openly about plans to boost achievement among ESE students – but not about their plans to cut hundreds of positions devoted to helping them. Tampa Bay Times.
STEM. Students at a Palm Bay magnet school gear up for a robotics competition. Florida Today. A sheriff’s office spokesman is also a chronicler of Florida’s science education debates. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Broad Foundation. The organization praises progress made by Seminole County schools. Orlando Sentinel.
Administrator conduct. A private school principal accused of child molestation loses his job. Tampa Tribune. A Manatee administrator involved in a child abuse case faces an administrative hearing. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Bradenton Herald. The Herald also has this related story.
Teacher Conduct. A Polk County teacher involved in a sex scandal previously resigned from an earlier teaching position under scrutiny. Lakeland Ledger.
Career education. Southwest Florida businesses promote high-tech manufacturing careers to high school students. Fort Myers News-Press.
School safety. Officials respond to a threat scrawled on a bathroom wall. Orlando Sentinel.
Extended day. A longer school day seems to be helping many Pinellas students who struggle the most. Tampa Bay Times.
Bell schedules. New starting and ending times draw criticism from Hernando County parents. Tampa Bay Times.
Budgets. Treasure Coast schools could soon see a funding increase. St. Lucie News-Tribune.
Administrators. A respected Ponte Vedra principal loses his fight with cancer. Florida Times-Union.
