Nation’s Report Card: U.S. 8th-graders’ history and geography test scores declined from 2014 to 2018 in the latest results released Thursday from the National Assessment of Educational Progress’ Nation’s Report Card. Civics scores were unchanged. “The results … indicate that many students are struggling to understand and explain the importance of civic participation, how American government functions, the historical significance of events and the need to grasp and apply core geographic concepts,” said Peggy Carr, associate commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which runs the NAEP. History scores declined from 267 in 2014 to 263 in 2018 on a 500-point scale, and in geography from 261 to 258. Scores were down in both subject areas among white and black students, and among low-performing students. Hispanic students declined in history but saw no change in geography. “These results are another indication that the achievement of already low-performing students has been declining relative to higher-performing students,” said Lynn Woodworth, commissioner of NCES. Education Dive. Education Week.
More aid for Florida schools: Another $13.2 billion in federal coronavirus relief aid is being made available for states and their school districts, U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced on Thursday. Florida’s share is $770,247,851. Ninety percent of the money, about $693.2 million, must be distributed to districts and schools, including charter schools, in the same proportion as earlier aid. The state can decide how to distribute the final 10 percent, and any money not used in a year must be returned. The Florida Department of Education has until July 1 to apply for the money. Politico. Education Week. U.S. Department of Education. Private schools are hoping to get some financial help through the second Paycheck Protection Program, a part of the pandemic relief fund that makes forgivable loans to small businesses. redefinED. More federal financial support, with strings attached to ensure equity, is needed to help schools, according to a report from the Shanker Institute, a think tank affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers. Chalkbeat.
Reopening Florida: Restoring child-care and preschools will play a key role in reopening Florida, members of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Re-Open Florida Task Force agreed at a meeting Thursday. More than half of the preschools in the state have closed because of dwindling enrollment caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and many families may no longer be able to pay for the service because of lost jobs. “If we’re going to open up our economy, child care plays a vital role,” said Eric Hall, senior chancellor for the Florida Department of Education. The state should consider putting money into preschool centers, especially in low-income communities, said Evilio Torres, chairman of the Miami-Dade Early Learning Coalition. “It’s going to be critical,” he said. The task force was scheduled to make its recommendations to DeSantis today, but an aide said that will happen next week. Associated Press, WJXT. Tampa Bay Times. Florida Politics. Bay News 9. Child-care providers are asking the state to use some coronavirus relief money to help them. Politico Florida. Some Democratic legislators are calling for a special session of the Legislature to deal with the effects of the pandemic. Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, said that “as it stands, there are no plans to go into special session.” Politico Florida. Florida Politics.
Graduation plans: The Nassau County School District will hold traditional graduation ceremonies June 22-25, if the CDC guidelines on social distancing have been relaxed. If they haven’t, the district’s backup dates are July 13-16. WJXT. Graduation ceremonies for Citrus County high school seniors have been postponed until sometime this summer and school proms have been canceled. The district is planning drive-through graduations May 26-28. Citrus County Chronicle. Lee County high school seniors are losing their scheduled graduations, but will be honored with two graduations: virtual ceremonies in June and traditional ceremonies in July if CDC guidelines permit. WINK. WFTX. WZVN.
More on the coronavirus: Online learning was interrupted in Citrus County on Thursday when a hacker got into some programs in the school district’s computer servers. District officials quickly shut down connections. Remote learning will continue with programs that weren’t affected. Citrus County Chronicle. WUSF. While most students are working online with their teachers, about 60,000 elementary students in Orange County are picking up paper assignments weekly. Spectrum 13. The Jackson County School District is equipping school buses with wifi so students without Internet access can download their assignments. The buses will be parked around the county. WTXL. Schools in the Tampa Bay area are looking at ways to get personal things from school lockers and desks back to students who couldn’t get them before schools were closed in March. Tampa Bay Times. A Sarasota County summer learning program is in jeopardy over anticipated state funding cuts. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Lee County high school seniors share their thoughts about the changes the pandemic has caused in their final year. Fort Myers News-Press. The Florida Center for Instructional Technology is offering free courses to help K-12 teachers with online instruction. University of South Florida. Online reports cards will be issued today for Hillsborough County students. Gradebook. School districts, organizations and individuals continue to feed low-income students while schools are closed. Florida Department of Agriculture. Florida Department of Education. WUFT.
Miami-Dade’s high ranking: Six Miami-Dade County high schools are among the top 10 high schools in the state of Florida and top 100 in the United States, according to the U.S. News & World Report rankings released this week. The School for Advanced Studies was judged tops in the state and fourth-best in the country. All six are either magnet programs or charter schools. The rankings show that the district “is a leader in academic performance, and that includes providing our students with a remarkable range of educational opportunities,” said Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. Almost three-quarters of the district’s students are enrolled in choice programs. redefinED.
The students of 9/11: Whatever happened to the Sarasota 2nd-graders to whom President George W. Bush was reading on Sept. 11, 2001, when he was interrupted by an aide informing him about the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center? A new documentary by Canadian director Elizabeth St. Phillip, called 9/11 Kids, explores the lives of the now 20-somethings from Emma E. Booker Elementary School. In a Q&A, St. Phillip and producer Steve Gamester said they feared those 16 students would have fixated on all the things that have gone wrong in the world since that day, but instead found they have a sense of hope and resilience. Global News.
Hybrid school board meeting: Hillsborough County School Board members will consider a charter school application and graduation schedules at their next “hybrid” meeting Tuesday. The board will meet in person, with chairs placed far apart, though members can attend remotely. The public will be allowed to comment in person, but there will be a limit to the number of people in the room. Gradebook.
A school’s name: Hillsborough County School Board member Tamara Shamburger is questioning a push to rename Sligh Middle School for professional wrestler and benefactor Thaddeus Bullard. Shamburger said the usual process of naming or renaming schools should be followed, questioned whether the community supports the suggestion, and suggested that Bullard was being honored mostly for his financial contributions. Bullard is supporting Henry Washington against Shamburger in the upcoming election. Tampa Bay Times.
School consideration delayed: The Miami City Commission has delayed consideration for a new boys school in Coconut Grove until at least June. Both supporters and opponents of the plan asked for the delay so input could be presented in person instead of remotely. The Carrollton School wants to build an elementary school for 336 boys and 50 employees on the 3.7-acre site. Miami Herald.
Money for new buses: The Hillsborough and Seminole school districts will each get 10 new school buses, and the Palm Beach district one, with grants from the EPA. The $420,000 in funding will replace old diesel buses and reduce pollutants. Environmental Protection Agency.
Personnel moves: Fran Herrin, the principal at Gerald Adams Elementary School in Key West, has been chosen as the Monroe County School District’s next executive director of teaching and learning. She replaces Theresa Axford, who takes over the superintendent’s job from the retiring Mark Porter in August. Key West Citizen.
Paying athletes: At meetings next week, the NCAA Board of Governors will consider changing its policies to allow college athletes to be paid for the commercial use of their names, likenesses and images. Athletes would be allowed to make sponsorship and endorsement deals. The recommended changes are expected to be the basis of new legislation the NCAA expects to vote on in January that, if approved, would take place in 2021. Associated Press.
Volunteer coach arrested: Jocques Jerrod Richardson, 37, who works as a volunteer with the Hallandale Beach Police Athletic League and Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory High School, has been arrested and accused of molesting a 14-year-old girl who was in the running club. He’s charged with lewd and lascivious molestation, traveling to meet a minor for an illegal sex act, obscene communication to a solicit child for unlawful sex act and of offenses against students. WPLG. WSVN. Miami Herald.
Opinions on schools: There is a digital divide with distance learning brought on by COVID-19 – a divide that’s detrimental to the social, emotional and intellectual growth of students in lower-income situations. But the virus has merely exposed the older divide – decades of economic warfare, systemic racism, classicism and inequity of resource availability. Keith Jacobs, redefinED. A University of Central Florida professor offers advice on ways school leaders can support African-American students from underserved communities during the coronavirus crisis. Dr. Larry J. Walker, Education Week. When Florida’s recovery from the pandemic begins, the beliefs of policymakers and educators will play even bigger roles in decision-making than they did pre-pandemic. This is one of the reasons for my pessimism regarding the future of the STEM pipeline – the resources that remain after educational budgets are ravaged by budget cuts will likely be devoted almost entirely to activities that benefit all students and are consistent with the democratic equality goal. Paul Cottle, Bridge to Tomorrow.
Student enrichment: Four Brevard County students were among 36 Florida students named this week as 2020 National Merit Scholars in the first of four announcements of winners by the National Merit Scholarship Corp. Florida Today. National Merit Scholarship Corp.
