Charter school closings: A watchdog organization reports that 38 percent of charters schools in Florida have closed since 2000, a failure rate that's 7 percentage points higher than the national average. Of the 1,091 charter schools that have opened in Florida since 2000, 491 have closed (the state Department of Education disputes that number and says 389 have closed). David Armiak, a researcher for the Center For Media and Democracy in Wisconsin, calls the closure rate "alarming." He says it raises questions about accountability for charter schools, which get funding from the state but have greater operational freedom than traditional public schools. Armiak also noted that the closures disproportionately affected minority students. Gradebook.

Effects of teacher turnover: A new study concludes that midyear teacher turnover has a negative impact on student learning, especially in schools that have large proportions of minority and low-income students. “While it is possible for turnover to be beneficial for school systems, an extensive body of research points to the ways that teacher turnover disrupts … the continuity of a child’s learning experiences, particularly in underserved schools,” write study authors Christopher Redding of the University of Florida and Gary Henry of Vanderbilt. The researchers studied data from 2008 to 2014 collected from of North Carolina schools. Chalkbeat. (more…)

School recognition money: Hundreds of Florida schools will split more than $123 million in state recognition money for student performance based on school grades. Schools that receive or maintain an A grade from the state are eligible, as well as those that improve a letter grade. Schools receive an extra $100 per student, which they can use for bonuses, supplies or temporary workers. Traditionally, most of the money goes to employee bonuses. If school employees and advisory councils can't agree on how to use the money by Feb. 1, the money is split among all the teachers at the school. Gradebook.

Testing for lead: Thirteen water sources at nine Polk County schools have higher levels of lead than the federal threshold for safe drinking water, according to school officials. Faucets and pipes with the contaminated water have been repaired, and will be retested before the schools are allowed to use them. Water in a dozen other schools tested under the EPA's 15 parts per billion standard for safe water. The district began the voluntary testing after neighboring Hillsborough County found lead in the drinking waters at schools last summer. Lakeland Ledger. (more…)