Failure Factories: The Tampa Bay Times has won a Pulitzer Prize for local reporting for its stories on five failing St. Petersburg elementary schools. The series, labeled Failure Factories, detailed how the Pinellas County School District abandoned integration efforts in 2007 and then failed to provide adequate resources for the schools, which became[Read More…]
Tag: failure factories
Lawmakers propose constitutional overhaul for Florida school districts
Florida school districts would no longer be defined exclusively by county lines, under a constitutional amendment proposed by two state lawmakers. If passed by the Legislature and approved by voters, the amendments would allow the state or local governments to create new school districts — a concept analogous, in some ways, to the[Read More…]
Florida bill would give principals freedom to turn around schools
As attention swirls around efforts to turn around persistently struggling schools, Florida lawmakers want to give some principals more money, extra training and more operational freedom to improve their schools’ performance. Rep. Manny Diaz, R-Hialeah, a former school administrator, has repeatedly pushed legislation that would give principals in traditional public schools some of the same[Read More…]
Florida schools roundup: Failure factories, testing, safety and more
Failure Factories. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan calls his visit to South Pinellas County schools “the beginning, not the end.” Tampa Bay Times. Testing. The New York Times covers Florida’s testing controversy. Parents will soon get the results from last spring’s round of testing. Orlando Sentinel. A Miami Beach parent-teacher[Read More…]
Florida roundup: Failure factories, teachers unions, discipline and more
Failure factories. The latest Tampa Bay Times investigation installment looks at teacher quality in segregated schools. Teachers unions. The Florida Education Association taps new leadership. Gradebook. Miami Herald. Politico Florida looks at the legacy of the statewide teachers union’s outgoing president, the long-serving Andy Ford. Discipline. Suspensions are down in Hillsborough.[Read More…]
Florida roundup: Charter schools, Catholic schools, testing and more
Catholic schools. A South Florida Catholic school revitalizes itself. Sun-Sentinel. Testing. Escambia schools pare back local testing. Pensacola News-Journal. Scoring on new state assessments may be tougher than FCAT. School Zone. Gradebook. The Senate’s education chairman says testing changes will be up for discussion this year. Gradebook. Charter schools. Longhorn Steakhouse hosts[Read More…]
Florida roundup: Testing, failure factories, Jeb Bush and more
Testing. Florida’s testing system is deemed valid, but questions remain. Politico Florida. StateImpact. Associated Press. News Service of Florida. Tampa Bay Times. Miami Herald. Sun-Sentinel. Sentinel School Zone. Palm Beach Post. Fort Myers News-Press. Bradenton Herald. Naples Daily News. Lakeland Ledger. Ocala Star-Banner. Gainesville Sun. Tallahassee Democrat. Sunshine State News. Failure factories.[Read More…]
Florida roundup: Magnet schools, school choice, TFA and more
Magnet schools. A Pasco magnet school principal tells students it’s OK to fail, as long as they learn from it. Tampa Bay Times. A Palm Beach magnet school celebrates its 25th anniversary. Sun-Sentinel. Charter schools. A successful conversion charter elementary may grow into the middle grades. Bradenton Herald. School choice. Tax[Read More…]