SAT scores: National and Florida SAT scores have dropped between 1 and 6 percentage points in reading, writing and math this year from last, according to the College Board. Miami-Dade County bucked the trend, with scores for graduating seniors up in all three areas. Miami Herald. Lee and Collier students perform better this year on the SAT than they did a year ago, and stand above state averages. Fort Myers News-Press. Volusia County students’ SAT scores rose, while Flagler’s fell. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Student homelessness: There are almost twice as many homeless students in Treasure Coast counties this year than there were five years ago. St. Lucie, Indian River and Martin counties count 1,282 homeless students this year, up from 739 in 2010-2011. In Martin County, the number has more than tripled in that time. TCPalm.
Address checks: As school districts turn to rezoning to solve overcrowding at certain popular schools, parents are lobbying districts to first crack down on those who are attending schools using false addresses. In Broward County, one such check found 60 children with address discrepancies – enough to avoid rezoning schools. Tampa Bay Times.
Opt-out winner: Brandy Paternoster of Broward County talks about her successful legal fight against the school system to get her two children promoted to fourth grade after they opted out of the Florida Standards Assessments tests. Sun-Sentinel.
Desegregation talks: Plaintiffs in the 50-year-old desegregation case against the Pinellas County School District say they’re frustrated by the lack of progress in discussions with school officials. They say the district is slow to get them student performance data, and then slants its summaries to make the district look better. Tampa Bay Times.
Bush on education: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush talks about charter schools, Common Core, school spending and integration in a Q&A. The 74.
School food: A Eustis High School student starts a Facebook page that highlights some not-so-good-looking food served in the Lake County School District. The page has more than 1,000 members who are encouraged to post photos of their food. Daily Commercial. There are more and healthier food choices this year for Lee County students. Fort Myers News-Press.
Lottery changes: The Florida Lottery is planning an expansion that officials say will bring in more money for education. Lottery official signed a 13-year, $700 million-plus deal with IGT Global Solutions that will nearly triple the number of automated machines selling tickets for scratch-off and online games such as Powerball. Associated Press.
School-closing grieved: The announced closing of Archbishop Curley/Notre Dame High in Miami at the end of this school year provokes grief for the school’s alumni and students. Miami Herald.
School property: The Monroe County School Board agrees to hand over the rest of its part of the Glynn Archer School property to the city of Key West. Keynoter.
Principal’s story: Sherwood Elementary School Principal Larry Knight says the school experience of many of his students is the same as his was – mother on drugs, no father. He likes to share his story with teachers to remind them of the inspiration educators were to him, and how they can be to other students. Pensacola News Journal.
Notable deaths: Maria Paradelo Acosta, a longtime educator and an early advocate of bilingual education in the Miami-Dade County School District, dies at age 68. Miami Herald.
School elections: Three of the four candidates for Leon County school superintendent say they favor making the job an appointed one. Tallahassee Democrat. Charter schools are the focus in a Palm Beach County School Board race. Sun-Sentinel. Manatee County School Board District 1 candidates agree that the student protests this week over a Confederate flag on the Manatee High School campus was a “teachable moment.” Bradenton Herald.
School protests: Protests at Manatee and Palmetto high schools over a Confederate flag on campus did not spill over into Friday night football games and homecoming festivities, school officials say. Bradenton Herald.
PTO official arrested: Jessica Ann Laureano, the treasurer of the Parent-Teacher Organization at Sea Breeze Elementary School in Manatee County, is arrested and accused of stealing more than $6,000 from the group. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Students and masks: Two high school students are arrested after wearing masks from The Purge: Anarchy movie at South Lake High School near Groveland. Orlando Sentinel. Daily Commercial.
Student arrested: A 16-year-old boy is arrested and accused of stabbing an 18-year-old at the Boyd Anderson-Dillard high school football game Friday night in Lauderdale Lakes. The wounds are not life-threatening. Sun-Sentinel.
School sign vandalized: An LED school sign at Titusville’s Astronaut High School is smashed by vandals. An online campaign to replace it is started, with a goal of $8,500. Florida Today.
Opinions on schools: If state officials want to motivate the best and brightest to teach in Florida’s public schools and to make a career of it, they should start by bringing them into the conversation about how to structure a new teacher bonuses program. Tampa Bay Times. Allowing Bright Futures money to be used for summer tuition would enable Florida students to graduate more quickly, with less debt. That should make this an easy call for lawmakers. Daytona Beach News-Journal. If the new high school football playoffs format works as many expect it will, the days could be over when teams with losing records earn postseason bids while teams with better records went home. And that’s a good thing. Frank Jolley, Daily Commercial. Research shows that language is the most critical factor in a child’s brain development. And that’s something we need to work on in our community. Randy Hammer, Pensacola News Journal. The Polk County School District should spread the word about how worthwhile the half-cent tax has been in erecting, expanding, or improving schools with an eye toward convincing voters to renew it in 2018. Lakeland Ledger. The ages of immigrant children, not their country of origin, is the key to the discrimination lawsuit against the Collier County School District. Brent Batten, Naples Daily News. How does a school teach concepts like freedom of speech, and promote our nation’s valued tradition of presenting contrasting opinions, and still keep things orderly and education-friendly when opinionated teenagers start acting on what they have learned and actually speak out? Tom Lyons, Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The Early Learning Coalition of Marion County believes it is time for our community to join together and create a plan that will allow our children to move beyond and out of negative statistics – because our actions demonstrate we are a community that cares about children. Roseann Fricks, Ocala Star Banner. The agreement to keep school impact fees at $3,000 makes sense — for the building industry, the school system, Volusia County residents (particularly school-age children) and families yet to move here. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Student enrichment: Eighty-five students staying at the Camillus House homeless shelter in Miami receive backpacks full of school materials donated in a drive by the Colson Hicks Eidson Law Group in Coral Gables. Miami Herald. Boynton Beach Community High School students learn what it takes to save a life during a simulated emergency response at Florida Atlantic University’s College of Medicine. Sun-Sentinel. Chris and Shantell Mitchell’s 19-year-old son Dwayne died in March of a heart condition. Now the Mitchells are starting a campaign to require EKG screenings as part of the physicals students get to participate in school sports. Miami Herald.
