Having spent the better part of a quarter-century writing editorials and commentaries for a major metropolitan newspaper, I have wagged my finger with the best of them and spied more than my share of blood on the hands of shameless lawmakers. So I read New York Times columnist David Brooks[Read More…]
Tag: Florida and education reporting
Florida roundup: Common Core, teacher evaluations, school spending & more
Common Core. More signs that an implementation delay is in the works. StateImpact Florida. Orlando Sentinel. Associated Press. School spending. South Florida Sun Sentinel: “The Broward school district overpaid a security firm by $129,000, according an internal audit that found the district grossly mismanaged the contract, paid unnecessary overtime and late[Read More…]
A little legal history to go with those concerns about vouchers & creationism
The Orlando Sentinel recently published a blog entry about a new website that opposes students using publicly-funded vouchers to attend private schools that teach creationism. The site asserts, “Teaching creationism with public money is unconstitutional. It violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which lays out a clear separation[Read More…]
Florida roundup: Education reporting, education rankings, Diane Ravitch & more
Florida’s status. Matt Reed, Florida Today’s editorial page editor, takes a look at NAEP data and the most recent Education Week Quality Counts report and concludes: “We obviously have room to improve. But our system is neither starving, as educators always say. Nor is it “broken” or “failing,” as reformers keep telling[Read More…]
Florida roundup: School spending, digital education, PTA activism & more
Rick Scott’s proposed budget. Includes $1.2 billion more for public schools. Coverage from South Florida Sun Sentinel, Gainesville Sun, Fort Myers News Press, TCPalm.com, Associated Press, Pensacola News Journal. “A relief to educators,” reports the Lakeland Ledger. Digital education. Jeb Bush on CNN’s Schools of Thought Blog: “Digital learning is just one important[Read More…]
There’s more to the story about education reform in Florida
Tony Bennett has a tough, tough job ahead, and the way education in Florida is covered is not going to make it any easier. The big news last week is a case in point. Besides Bennett’s selection as the state’s new education commissioner, the top story was how Florida fourth-graders[Read More…]
Florida roundup: school safety, voucher conspiracies, school district spending & more
Newtown school shooting resonates. In added security and what to say.Tampa Tribune. Palm Beach Post. Tampa Bay Times. $1 million for cell phones. The Education Action Group looks at credit card statements in the Palm Beach County school district and finds “enough questionable spending to make an average millionaire blush.”[Read More…]
Florida’s fast-rising grad rates? Shrug
Media coverage of education reform in Florida never ceases to amaze. What you should be hearing today are the sputtering responses of critics who have drawn widespread media attention in recent weeks with reckless claims that Florida’s ed reforms are an “unmitigated disaster.” Instead … The easy prompt for fair[Read More…]