The American school system was, from its inception, a product of intolerance for human difference. Grounded in 19th Century religious and cultural prejudice, it was artfully designed to assure no government resource would end up supporting the teaching of religious or cultural notions that were uncongenial to the Protestant majority.[Read More…]
Parent Empowerment
Great conference! But where are the parents?
Recently I attended the American Federation for Children’s policy summit in Washington, D.C. This event was an exciting, informative, two-day conference filled with panel discussions, keynote speakers such as Lisa Leslie and Mike McCurry, and networking opportunities with education reformers from all over the country. I left D.C. feeling similar[Read More…]
Florida schools roundup: Parent power, special needs students, atheists & more
Parent power. Gov. Rick Scott signs into law a bill that gives parents of disabled students more say over their kid’s education. Orlando Sentinel, Associated Press. Virtual schools. Scott also signs the digital learning bill into law. Florida Current. Charter schools. The Lakeland-based Achievement Academy, a charter for students with[Read More…]
Florida roundup: charter schools, ed schools, digital devices & more
Charter schools. A circuit judge denies a Pasco charter school’s expansion plan. Tampa Bay Times. Virtual schools. A Fort Myers charter tells parents, wrongly, that they must pay $425 if their kids fail to complete Florida Virtual School classes. Associated Press. Class size amendment. Students down, teachers up. Intercepts. Ed schools. Florida State College[Read More…]
School choice by moving van
Editor’s note: Most discussions of school choice today are focused on newer options – charters, vouchers, tax credit scholarships – that are intended to empower parents without the ability or means to access the right school. But Catherine Robinson, a Tampa mother and assistant director of outreach for the Step[Read More…]
Florida’s school choice leader heading to Georgia to advise governor
Florida’s school choice czar is leaving to help guide education policy in Georgia. Mike Kooi, who is executive director of the state Department of Education’s Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice, has overseen for the past five years what is arguably the largest educational choice offering in the nation.[Read More…]

- Charter Schools
- Common Ground
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- Customization
- Education and Public Policy
- Education Politics
- Education Reporting
- Education Research
- Funding
- General
- Parent Empowerment
- Parental Choice
- Private Schools
- Religious Education
- School Boards
- School Choice
- Teacher Empowerment
- Teacher Quality
- Testing and Accountability
Florida roundup: Charter privatization, teacher quality, dual enrollment & more
Charter schools: Pembroke Pines city leaders release a privatization plan for its charter schools system that could result in hundreds of teachers losing their jobs. Miami Herald. The city plans to contract with Charter Schools USA for $10 million a year to operate the system. Sun-Sentinel. School grades: Education officials from[Read More…]

- Customization
- Education Politics
- Education Reporting
- Funding
- General
- Grassroots
- Innovation & Entrepreneurship
- National Education Legislation & Policy
- Parent Empowerment
- Parental Choice
- Private Schools
- Religious Education
- School Choice
- Tax Credit Scholarships
- Testing and Accountability
- Virtual Education
- Vouchers
New advocacy group to focus on helping Jewish day schools thrive
Finances were always a struggle for the Hebrew Academy of Tampa Bay, a small Jewish day school in Florida. But when the economy tanked a few years ago, the struggle turned into a fight for survival. “We had to go out and find those dollars,’’ said Sulha Dubrowski, the school’s[Read More…]