School choice. A political group that supports school choice gets involved in the Democratic primary for a Northeast Florida state House seat. News Service of Florida.
Private schools. A new private school, started by two charter school teachers, is aimed at low-income students in urban Orlando. Orlando Sentinel. A St. Petersburg private school helps gather gift donations for children in the state’s Guardian ad Litem program. Tampa Bay Times.
Lawsuits. Parents from around the state are helping to defend Florida’s tax credit scholarship program in court. Tampa Tribune. Wayne Blanton of the Florida School Boards Association hits back with an op-ed defending the lawsuit and criticizing the school choice program, which as administered by Step Up For Students, which co-hosts this blog. South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Charter schools. Many Florida charter schools struggle to comply with state transparency laws requiring them to post financial and governance information on their websites. Naples Daily News. See the paper’s analysis here. Watchdog.org looks at charter school growth statistics.
Technology. More federal dollars are going to help schools pay for technology purchases. Tampa Tribune. Flagler schools officials find the digital transition hasn’t been as wholesale as they hoped. Daytona Beach News-Journal. A Bevard middle school rolls out a one-to-one inititative. Florida Today. Monroe officials try to combat online threats and cyberbullying. Keynoter.
Teacher evaluations. Districts should follow Hillsborough’s lead on teacher evaluations, Tampa Bay Times columnist John Romano writes. Some teachers call for changes. Tampa Bay Times. Baker County teachers boast some of the highest VAM scores in the state. WJCT.
STEM. Why not use Bright Futures scholarships to nudge students toward college majors in STEM fields? Paul Cottle raises the idea in the Tallahassee Democrat. Central Florida high school students take part in scientific research on local college campuses. Orlando Sentinel.
Testing. The local teachers union says testing is to blame for a spate of recent teacher resignations and retirements. WFTV.
Employee conduct. A Palm Beach school district employee is accused of stealing district laptops for his own use. Sun-Sentinel. An elementary school registrar resigns in Leon County. WCTV.
Administration. Flagler’s superintendent reshuffles the district’s top administrative ranks. Daytona Beach News-Journal. The Hillsborough school district should stick with MaryEllen Elia as superintendent, the Tampa Bay Times argues in an editorial.
Reading instruction. Schools hope to keep kids reading over the holidays. Miami Herald.
Discipline. Hillsborough schools cut down on discipline referrals on school buses. Tampa Tribune.
Security. Palm Beach schools may institute random weapons checks. Palm Beach Post.
