School violence: The Miami-Dade School District becomes the first in the country to implement the Sandy Hook Promise in all its schools. It's a violence-protection program started by parents who lost children in the Newtown, Conn., elementary school massacre in 2012. It emphasizes social inclusion by reaching out to isolated students, and trains students and staff to see warning signs. Miami Herald.

Superintendent's job: The chairwoman of the Duval County School Board member asks School Superintendent Nikolai Vitti to resign or face termination at a meeting Friday, according to Vitti. He says he won't quit. Chairwoman Ashley Smith Juarez has accused Vitti of not being truthful with the board. She also has criticized the district's performance on state exams, and says Vitti's goals for improving those scores are not aggressive enough. Florida Times-Union.

CPR training: Orange County students are now being required to take CPR training before graduating. The training will be provided during a physical education course or another required course. Orlando Sentinel.

Impact fees: A Lake County commissioner urges the school board to waive part of the school impact fees on builders. Leslie Campione wants the board to reduce the fees on homes built within two miles of existing schools in established neighborhoods. Doing so could cost the school district about $1 million a year. Orlando Sentinel. Daily Commercial. (more…)

Over the past few weeks, the NAACP has faced constant pushback from education reformers and school choice advocates for its proposed stance against charter schools. Some of that pushback has come from Gerard Robinson, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, who recently wrote a series of blog posts unpacking the proposal

However, on our latest podcast, he says it's important to remember where the civil rights organization is coming from. The organization's advocacy forced many public schools to integrate for the first time, he says, and helped pave the way for him to become a state education chief in Virginia and then in Florida.

"When they say they want to make sure that public schools are open to all kids, they're speaking from a standpoint of knowing it wasn't always that way, and that if they see that kind of spirit cropping back up, they're going to attack it," Robinson tells Denisha Merriweather, a former tax credit scholarship student who's now a family advocate at Step Up For Students, which publishes this blog. "In their world, they see charter schools as part of that. I don't." (more…)

From the Tampa Bay Times:

Tony Bennett is expected to resign Thursday as Florida education commissioner following two days of raging controversy over school grading in his home state of Indiana.

Bennett is expected to hold a news conference in Tallahassee late Thursday morning to make the announcement.

Bennett, who came to Florida from the Hoosier State in January, has faced mounting calls for his resignation in the wake of revelations, first reported by the Associated Press, that he interceded on behalf of an Indiana charter school run by a prominent Republican Party donor

His resignation will be a major setback for Gov. Rick Scott and state education leaders, who are working to overhaul Florida's system of school accountability and assessment in compliance with the national Common Core standards.

Bennett came to the job in January after losing his re-election bid as Indiana superintendent of schools. He was the third permanent commissioner in Scott' 31-month tenure, following Eric Smith (who Scott pushed out) and Gerard Robinson (who resigned under pressure). Two interim commissioners — John Winn and Pam Stewart -— also have run the department under Scott.

The past two times Florida has searched for a commissioner to run what many consider one of the nation's leading education "reform" and accountability states, the pickings have been slim. Bennett only applied after losing re-election.

Charter schools. Tallahassee Democrat columnist Byron Dobson takes issue with last week's DOE press release about charter school performance, which was headlined, "Report shows charter school students outpace traditional public school students." "Somehow the DOE headline comes across as a slam against public schools," he writes.

School choice. The Escambia school district is set to offer more public school options within geographic zones, prompting School Board Chairman Jeff Bergosh to say:“What we’re doing is the logical next step in public education. Because of this ancient system of geographic boundaries, it shuts out students from being able to go to a better school. This moves the ball forward and allows parents an opportunity.” Pensacola News Journal.

Career education. The Tampa Tribune likes where the Legislature is headed with career education.

Parent trigger. Authentic parents vs. authentic lobbyists, writes StateImpact Florida. An update from SchoolZone. Privatization, says this op-ed in the Ledger.

Digital learning. The conversion in the St. Johns district is welcome but challenging. St. Augustine Record.

Private schools. The Tallahassee Democrat profiles a 40-year-old Episcopalian school whose alumni include the children and grandchildren of Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee. (more…)

Testing for “voucher” kids. The Orlando Sentinel editorial board concludes tax credit scholarship students should take the same standardized tests as their public school peers: “Comparing apples to apples, scholastically speaking, will enhance transparency and accountability.”

From Florida with love: A Florida education advocate named Lowell Levine gets extended mention in the latest Rick Hess column, a follow-up to a piece about the unfortunate politicization of Newtown. Levine tells Hess, in part: You just do not want to hear the truth ---it is writers like you who are in denial and contribute to violence in schools. You are a shame to your profession. Good by and have a great life------A$$@#%&!!!!!... I’m not sure if it’s the same guy, but a Lowell Levine in South Florida applied to be Florida ed commish and, according to the Palm Beach Post, founded an anti-bullying foundation.

Education funding. From a Miami Herald year-end-wrap-up editorial: “Investments in education pay off. That’s a lesson Gov. Rick Scott seems to be learning as he pushed to restore some of the K-12 funding that he previously cut.”

“Lower ed.” Former Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson makes the year-in-review from Tampa Bay Times columnist John Romano.

Class size. Do districts need more flexibility? asks Gradebook. SchoolZone looks at compliance in Central Florida districts.

The year’s biggest education stories. According to StateImpact Florida. Amendment 8 is in there.

End of course exams. DOE will study the possibility of concordant scores for the Algebra I test, reports SchoolZone.

More Newtown repercussions. Armed deputies may be patrolling Alachua County elementary schools when students return Jan. 3, reports the Gainesville Sun.

He’s in.

Tony Bennett, the hard-charging Hoosier with a rock-star rep, is the new face of Florida’s school system and its full-throttle reforms.

As expected, the Florida Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday morning to select Bennett, the former state superintendent in Indiana, over two finalists with lower profiles. In doing so, they opted to give a new and bigger stage to a former science teacher and basketball coach who lost re-election last month, in a shocking upset, after championing school vouchers, school grades and other Florida-style initiatives.

Immediately after the vote, Bennett told reporters that even though his dream job was in Indiana, "there's only one state I believe is better than that, and that's Florida. This state is so vitally important to the national education discussion."

"I look forward to the great things ahead," he told the board.

Bennett's salary and start date are subject to negotiation, but the last two commissioners made $275,000 per year. Bennett said he expected to start work in mid January.

Board members discussed Bennett and the other two finalists for four minutes before the vote.

"His ability to get up to speed quickly would be very important for the state of Florida,"  said board member John Padget. And his willingness to travel the state to meet with teachers and other stakeholders "will be absolutely necessary," said member A.K. Desai.

“Tony has a great record of achievement in Indiana and I am confident he will be a tireless advocate for Florida’s students," Gov. Rick Scott said in a prepared statement.

As commissioner, Bennett will help oversee one of the biggest and most dynamic school systems in the country. Florida has 2.6 million students, with 40 percent of them attending something other than their zoned school. That's not by coincidence.

Since Jeb Bush was elected governor in 1998, the Sunshine State has been the nation’s leading lab for the transformation of public education. School grades, school vouchers, third-grade retention, merit pay for teachers – if it was controversial, it seems, it was either tried in Florida first or rolled out here in bigger, bolder fashion. Pressure to improve outcomes is coming from both a tough accountability system and, increasingly, from parent-driven school choice.

Bennett, the fourth commissioner in less than six years, faces even bigger challenges than his predecessors did. (more…)

The Florida Board of Education announced its finalists for education commissioner today, with a list of three candidates including Indiana's outgoing education chief Tony Bennett.

Bennett, who gained national acclaim and criticism for pushing Florida-style education reforms in his home state, lost his re-election bid last month. That immediately sparked rumors that the Chiefs of Change leader might come to the Sunshine State.

The other finalists culled from 53 applications are:

Charles Hokanson Jr. A consultant and former president of the Alliance for School Choice, he also served as a deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Education, appointed by former President George W. Bush. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Hokanson said he worked on state reform efforts at the alliance, including those pushed in Florida by former Gov. Jeb Bush.

Randy Dunn. Murray State University president and a former Illinois state superintendent of education.

The board will interview the finalists during its Dec. 11 meeting in Tampa.

The new education commissioner will replace Gerard Robinson, who left at the end of August. Robinson, who only took the job a year earlier, said at the time that being apart from his family in Virginia proved too challenging. He also received sharp criticism surrounding changes to the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test that resulted in test scores dropping statewide.

Pam Stewart, the interim education commissioner, did not submit an application for the permanent post.

Standardized test costs. They total about $1.7 billion a year nationwide, according to a new report from Brookings that includes state-by-state figures. Not much, concludes researcher Matt Chingos, who adds “perhaps we’re spending less than we should.” Coverage from Education Week and Huffington Post. Former Florida education commissioner Gerard Robinson tells the latter about test anxiety: “I won't pretend that tests don't matter and there's no anxiety -- but I also tell people there's anxiety with sex. There's anxiety with sex, but there isn't any talk about getting rid of that.”

And still more Jeb summit coverage. Politic365 on the “Florida Formula.” EdFly Blog on the crucial center. Rick Hess on "The Common Core Kool-Aid."

More protests from Hillsborough parents. They want better training for employees who work with special-needs children, StateImpact Florida reports. More from Tampa Bay Times.

Tony Bennett is on many a Florida ed reformer's wish list to be education commissioner. And on Tuesday, he said he was considering applying for the job.

"My wife and I are still thinking about it and praying about it," Bennett told redefinED after appearing on a panel at a national education reform summit in Washington D.C.

Considered a leading light in the national ed reform movement, Bennett lost his re-election bid this month in an upset to Glenda Ritz, an elementary school media specialist and teachers union leader. But some saw Indiana's loss as Florida's potential gain, and at least two Florida Board of Education members said they would like to see Bennett apply for the post left vacant by Gerard Robinson's abrupt departure in August.

Bennett made his brief comment to redefinED after appearing on a panel at the summit organized by Jeb Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education. He mentioned he and his wife have been through a lot during his four years as state superintendent, so they want to be totally sure applying for the Florida job is the right decision.

The application deadline is Friday. The Board of Education technically makes the hiring decision, but Gov. Rick Scott is expected to have a huge say.

Gerard Robinson. The former Florida education commissioner, who stepped down three months ago, will be among the panelists next week responding to a new Brookings report on standardized testing and the Common Core. More here.

DOE responds to Tampa Bay Times contracting story. I can't remember the last time DOE did a point-by-point, line-by-line rebuttal to a story. Press release here.

Career academies. Get a nice write-up in the Gainesville Business Report.

Testing. New Duval Superintendent Nikolai Vitti removes some internal standardized tests from the district schedule, prompting praise from teachers union president Terrie Brady, reports the Florida Times Union.

FCAT. Will any private schools that accept tax credit scholarships give it? Asks Gradebook.

Contract talks. Continue next week in Palm Beach County after nearly falling apart last week, reports the Palm Beach Post’s Extra Credit blog.

Schools put kids in reach of convicts. Tampa Bay Times columnist Sue Carlton.