Personal Learning Scholarship Accounts. Florida’s newest school choice program officially opened Friday. WCJB. Sentinel School Zone. redefinED. State Sen. Andy Gardiner explains the program on the EdFly.
Charter schools. Half a dozen new ones, with a diverse set of offerings, are slated to open in Hillsborough this fall. Tampa Tribune.
Tax credit scholarships. A lawsuit by the statewide teachers union brings the regulation of private schools under renewed scrutiny. Daytona Beach News-Journal. The Florida Education Association’s lawyer tells Watchdog.org that the union was most concerned about the tax credit scholarship legislation, and the personal learning accounts program could be a “collateral casualty” of its recently announced lawsuit.
Early learning. Kindergarten, and even pre-K, may be too late for low-income parents to start thinking about their children’s education, experts tell the Orlando Sentinel.
Teacher conduct. A South Florida judge sides with a teacher who protested her firing after she allowed her daughter to be beaten with an extension cord. Sun-Sentinel.
Magnet schools. A Palm Beach County elementary retools into an arts magnet. Palm Beach Post.
Special needs. A reorganization of Pinellas’ special education program has not gone as planned. Tampa Bay Times. A child care center that caters to exceptional children reaches a milestone. Florida Times-Union.
Campaigns. PolitiFact crunches numbers on education spending, a subject of many gubernatorial talking points. The wife of a Republican lawmaker challenges the longest-serving member of the Pinellas school board. Tampa Bay Times.
Common Core. The Hillsborough superintendent holds a series of public meetings on the standards. Tampa Bay Times. The Highlands County News-Sun takes a deep dive into the standards, with a kicker quote from state Board of Education member Andy Tuck.
Advanced Placement. Hillsborough students who excel on AP exams potentially save millions they could have had to spend on college. Tampa Tribune.
Summer. College students on their way to becoming teachers help fuel Sarasota County’s efforts to halt the “summer slide.” Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The Lakeland Ledger reports on Polk summer programs in Title I schools.
Superintendents. Brevard’s superintendent gets generally good reviews. Florida Today.
Administration. Next year’s spending plan in Manatee County includes a performance pay plan for principals. Bradenton Herald.
Nurses. A Levy County school nurse wins a statewide award. Gainesville Sun.
