Florida roundup: Lawsuits, education legislation, graduation and more

Lawsuits. A lawsuit seeking sweeping changes to Florida’s education system widens to include school choice programs. redefinED. Orlando Sentinel.

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Graduation. The entire graduating class at a Lakewood Ranch private school is bound for college. Bradenton Herald. Career center graduates celebrate hard-won diplomas. Tampa Bay Times. A terminally ill dad gets to see his son graduate high school. Tampa Tribune.

Legislation. Pinellas County school district officials sound off on this year’s legislative session, including school choice bills. Tampa Tribune.

Charter schools. The Lake Wales municipal charter system eyes expansion at one of its campuses. Lakeland Ledger.

Magnet schools. A Polk County magnet school helps provide a reading-friendly environment. Lakeland Ledger.

Common Core. Jeb Bush faces criticism for promoting the standards. Tampa Bay Times.

Technology. Palm Beach County schools use 3D printers in their classrooms. Palm Beach Post.

Testing. School district officials in Seminole County analyze lower-than-expected FCAT results. Orlando Sentinel. Falling scores among Marion third graders prompt concern. Ocala Star-Banner. FCAT results led to an inadvertent release of sensitive student information. Keynoter.

STEM. Students who pass algebra in middle school often struggle to reach Advanced Placement Calculus, a problem that is most pronounced among black students. Bridge to Tomorrow. Students design science experiments to raise awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Florida Today.

Arts. A Hernando County high school is poised to do away with its music and agriculture programs amid a decline in enrollment. Tampa Bay Times.

Corporal punishment. Suwanee County leads the state in the use of corporal punishment. Suwanee Democrat, via the Gradebook.

Administration. Duval schools prepare for a reshuffling of principals. Florida Times-Union. Alachua County schools are poised to hire their next superintendent. Gainesville Sun. Palm Beach County schools investigate a whistleblower complaint. Palm Beach Post.

Employee conduct. Broward County teachers get disciplined by the Education Practices Commission. Sun-Sentinel.

Nutrition. A federally funded food program helps provide for hungry children over the summer. Orlando Sentinel.


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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.