Middle schools. Choice options - including charter schools that compete with the district's offerings - come into play as Duval officials rethink their approach to middle school. Florida Times-Union. Hernando County plans to start a new academy for middle-school students who are falling behind. Tampa Bay Times. A military academy aimed at middle school students is close to its enrollment goal. Ocala Star-Banner.
Magnet schools. A science academy teachers youngsters about marine life during trips down the St. Johns River. Florida Times-Union. Graduation marks the end of a difficult year for a Palm Beach County magnet program. Palm Beach Post. A Palm Beach high school is offering space for students who could not find space in the Dreyfoos School of the Arts, the Post reports.
Charter schools. A charter school for students with autism leaves the school district behind and hopes to join forces with a nearby private school. Gradebook.
Alternative schools. The Orange and Seminole County school districts both plan to create new options for students who fall behind in high school. Orlando Sentinel.
Unions. The Florida Education Association endorses Charlie Crist for governor. Sunshine State News. The Pasco teachers union negotiates planning time with the school district. Tampa Bay Times. The Brevard teachers union stakes out positions on a range of statewide issues but has yet to take a position on a local school tax. Florida Today.
Funding. Some advocates are calling for a revamp of the formula used to distribute education funding to school districts. WTSP. School districts worry funding increases might not keep pace with spending demands. Tampa Tribune.
Tax credit scholarships. The program is expanding, and more organizations are signing up to offer scholarships. Tampa Tribune. A Gainesville Sun guest column pans "privatization." A Washington Post blogger pans the Florida Legislature. The program helps Jewish families afford private schools. Chabad.org. The program is administered by non-profit organizations like Step Up For Students, which co-hosts this blog.
Legislative session. Sen. John Legg recaps the session for the Pasco County School Board, including a push to encourage a new collegiate high school in the district. Gradebook. The debate in Florida this year was about how to manage a panoply of parental choice options that has matured. RedefinED.
Budgets. School-related property taxes would increase under the budget that passed the Legislature. Tampa Tribune. The Palm Beach Post calls the education budget "a source of shame" in an editorial.
Merit pay. A federal judge upholds SB 736 in its last remaining constitutional challenge, but also says the evaluation system is unfair without tests in every grade and subject. Orlando Sentinel. Associated Press.
Charter schools. A Sarasota Military Academy teacher accused of shoving a student can resign rather than being fired. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Facilities. Broward schools seek an $800 million bond referendum. Sun-Sentinel. Miami Herald.
Turnarounds. The Pinellas school district intervenes at nine schools. Tampa Bay Times.
Closures. The Hernando County school board decides to keep an elementary school open. Tampa Bay Times.
Administration. A handful of Pinellas elementary school principals are changing schools. Tampa Tribune. Parents petition the school board over an administrator's decision to discipline a popular athlete. Florida Times-Union.
Reading instruction. Zephyrhills athletes mentor younger students. Tampa Bay Times.
Transportation. The saga of Hillsborough's bus system continues. Tampa Bay Times.
Volunteers. A 79-year-old school volunteer is honored. Tampa Tribune.
I’m not an education reporter anymore, but from my new gig I’m getting even more dizzy watching education evolve. So many states are adding or expanding school choice options – charters, vouchers, virtual schools, tax-credit scholarships – that it’s hard for reporters to keep up. To make it worse, newsrooms are shrinking and there’s more pressure than ever to produce daily stories. It’s really hard to master the wonky details of say, vouchers for special needs students, at the same time you’re covering a middle school brawl and school board sniping.
But reporters are going to have to adapt. They’ll have to cover more ground with more depth.
Readers won’t be well served if education coverage continues to be reflexively focused on traditional public schools. And newspapers’ bottom lines won’t be well served when growing numbers of parents see that their schools are either 1) not being covered or 2) being snared in simplistic story lines that don’t mesh with their realities.
I see plenty of stories that relate to school choice that make me cringe. But I also see some that suggest newsrooms are adjusting: (more…)
