Florida roundup: Digital learning, private schools, parental choice and more

Charter schools. Broward County parents consider converting a special needs school into a charter in order to save it. Miami Herald. The SEED school in Miami has chosen a new site for what could become the Florida’s first public boarding school,  the Herald reports.

Digital learning. Large numbers of Florida high school students still haven’t taken the online course that’s required before graduation. Orlando Sentinel.

florida-roundup-logoTax credit scholarships. A Sun-Sentinel column criticizes parental choice programs, and a St. Augustine Record column criticizes tax credit scholarships. Parents seek out scholarships for a reason, Ron Matus writes in the Pensacola News Journal. He is the director of policy and public affairs for Step Up For Students, which co-hosts this blog.

Private schools. One Palm Beach County private school marks its first graduating class, while another bids farewell to its last. Palm Beach Post. A college preparatory Christian school celebrates its first graduation. Bradenton Herald

Testing. The first round of released FCAT scores shows results are largely flat in the test’s final year. Associated PressTampa Bay TimesTampa Tribune. Palm Beach PostSt. Augustine Record. Tallahassee Democrat. Scripps. Bradenton Herald. Panama City News Herald. Pensacola News Journal. Tenth graders improve in writing. Orlando Sentinel. Thousands of third graders could be held back. Florida Times-Union. Miami Herald. Teachers in some districts question falling scores. Tampa Bay Times. The FCAT reading test can present a barrier to graduation for students who are learning English. Tampa Tribune

Desegregation. The end of court-ordered busing raises concerns in Orlando’s Parramore neighborhood. Orlando Sentinel. The opening of a new school in the neighborhood could prompt officials to close, the Sentinel reports.

Common Core. StateImpact looks at how the standards could affect creative writing instruction. A group of education foundations backs the standards. Gradebook.

Unions. The Palm Beach County teachers union is preparing for a do-over in its leadership elections. Palm Beach Post.

Facilities. Marion school officials plan to use state capital funds for much-needed repairs. Ocala Star-Banner. The Star-Banner also looks at local charter school funding. Developers have their sights on the Miami-Dade school district headquarters. Miami Herald.

Budgets. Orange County schools plan to ask voters to renew local tax levies for capital projects and operations. Orlando Sentinel.

Employee conduct. The Indian River school district investigates a bus driver accused of making students pull their pants down as a punishment. WPTV.

School safety. Bomb threats become more common late in the school year. Lakeland Ledger.

Superintendents. The Manatee school board considers a contract extension. Bradenton Herald.

Parents. A Polk County elementary school opens a parent resource center. Lakeland Ledger.

Meals. Walton County raises the price of school lunches. Northwest Florida Daily News. Manatee County considers doing the same. Bradenton Herald. Federally funded meal programs help low-income students over the summer. Florida Times-Union.

Recess. Lee County parents want more of it. Fort Myers News-Press.

Pay raises. The Monroe County school board approves a new teacher contract with a salary increase. Keynoter.

Graduation. Cheerleading helps push a high school student toward a diploma and a college scholarship. Tampa Bay Times.

Valedictorians. A Hillsborough student gets accolades for her eye-popping GPA. Tampa Tribune.


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BY Travis Pillow

Travis Pillow is Director of Thought Leadership at Step Up For Students and editor of NextSteps. He lives in Sanford, Fla. with his wife and two children. A former Tallahassee statehouse reporter, he most recently worked at the Center on Reinventing Public Education, a research organization at Arizona State University, where he studied community-led learning innovation and school systems' responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. He can be reached at tpillow (at) sufs.org.