Technology. StateImpact delves into E-rate, the obscure funding source helping schools go wireless. Hillsborough officials say they've worked most of the kinks out of their online gradebook software. Tampa Tribune. Manatee schools upgrade their Microsoft suite. Bradenton Herald.
Growth. Escambia officials are pushing a local school tax as a way to fund new buildings needed to accommodate an expected influx of jobs to the area. Pensacola News-Journal.
Teachers unions. The Sun-Sentinel reports on the Florida Education Association's intervention in an ongoing leadership election dispute in Palm Beach County.
Testing. Collier County schools officials say they're still waiting on the state to release a test item bank. Naples Daily News.
Low-income students. Hillsborough schools help outfit students with clothing, hygiene items, and other essentials. Tampa Tribune.
Retention. Collier schools look to get third graders up to grade level. Naples Daily News.
Editors's note: State Sen. John Legg is a Florida certified teacher with more than 10 years of classroom teaching experience. He is also a school administrator and the current chairman of the K-20 Education Policy Committee in the Florida Senate.
During the White House’s much-maligned rollout of the Affordable Care Act, President Obama suggested that purchasing health care insurance would be as easy as ordering “a TV from Amazon." However, the president found himself several weeks later admitting the Affordable Care Act website has significant problems.
The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services is supporting President Obama’s call for a “fix” by sending in the nation’s best and brightest for a “tech surge” to solve the implementation problems. But instead of deploying a tech surge to redesign a website, perhaps our nation’s future would be better served if a tech surge was deployed upon our educational system.
Our nation, indeed our global economy, has dramatically changed. Individuals that have digital and technological skills are, and will continue to be, in demand. America has a growing talent gap when it comes to workers with technology skills. Florida, meanwhile, ranks first in computer training, second in space and defense industries, third in engineering services, and fourth in Internet and telecommunications services, according to the 2012 Cyberstates report. In tech employment overall, it ranks fifth.
It is imperative that our education system equip Florida students with fluent digital and technological skills. Many of Florida’s business and education leaders have seen firsthand the need for policies and investment in technology in our schools. (more…)
Online learning. Broward College creates Broward College Online. South Florida Sun Sentinel. Flagler considers distributing thousands of laptops to high school students next year. Daytona Beach News Journal. Patricia Levesque, executive director of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, tells the News Service of Florida (subscription required) that it didn't get traction on its top priority last spring but will continue to push for it: moving the state "to a one-to-one student-to-technology-or-digital-device ratio by 2016."
Dual enrollment. Add the Pensacola News Journal to the list of papers writing on the cost shift to districts for dual enrollment.
Teacher conduct. Parents file a second lawsuit against a Coconut Creek preschool after allegations that students were molested by a music teacher. South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Teacher pay. The Collier County School Board will decide whether teachers get a raise in the wake of a special magistrate's recommendation in favor of it. Naples Daily News.
Early learning. Ninety community leaders gather in Pensacola to stress its importance. Pensacola News Journal.
School discipline. Expulsions down a lot in Hillsborough. Tampa Bay Times.
STEM. Hundreds of students participate in STEM-focused summer camps organized by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Stetson University and Daytona State College. Daytona Beach News Journal.
Parent power. Gov. Rick Scott signs into law a bill that gives parents of disabled students more say over their kid's education. Orlando Sentinel, Associated Press.
Virtual schools. Scott also signs the digital learning bill into law. Florida Current.
Charter schools. The Lakeland-based Achievement Academy, a charter for students with disabilities, plans to double enrollment to meet demand. Lakeland Ledger.
Career academies. A new firefighters academy is opening at Wellington High School next fall. Palm Beach Post.
Schools and religion. Atheist materials censored by the Orange County School District contained criticisms of the Bible. Orlando Sentinel.
School grades. The state again considers revision to the system in the face of concerns that the results will be too harsh. Tampa Bay Times. Add Treasure Coast districts to those warning parents about a drop in grades. TCPalm.com. A new task force should retract the most "onerous" changes to the grading system. Miami Herald. Or "trash" the system altogether. Palm Beach Post.
School technology. New technology in the Miami-Dade district is boosting education for students with disabilities. Miami Herald.
School spending. The state approves Manatee's financial recovery plan. Bradenton Herald. Bay plans to remove 22 old portables this summer. Panama City News Herald.
School districts. Pinellas needs to be more transparent with public records. Tampa Bay Times. (more…)
Charter schools. They're becoming more involved in the political process, reports the Florida Times Union. The Bradenton Herald takes a look at the challenges ahead for Rowlett Elementary, the Bradenton magnet that's becoming a charter school. So does the Sarasota Herald Tribune. (Sidebar on other charter school conversions here.) The fledgling Ben Gamla charterschool in Pinellas closes because of a dispute with its national board, reports the Tampa Bay Times. The Lake Wales Charter School system has more than 400 students on a waiting list for its middle school, prompting debate how to expand, reports the Lakeland Ledger.
Dual enrollment. Districts are chafing at having to pick up the tab, reports the Tampa Bay Times. More from the Northwest Florida Daily News.
School choice. The lottery process will be a topic for discussion at a school choice summit in Palm Beach County. Extra Credit.
Common Core. Training helps teachers instill love of math, reports StateImpact Florida. It's clear, concise and good for kids, says a teacher at a high-poverty school in this column by Karin Choweth at Ed Trust (H/T Tampa Bay Times).
Testing. The Happy Scientist raises questions about the science FCAT. Miami Herald.
Humanities. Don't forget them amidst the growing emphasis on STEM. Tampa Bay Times.
School technology. Hillsborough teachers like BYOD. Tampa Bay Times. (more…)
Charter schools. Parents at Rowlett Elementary, a magnet in Manatee, say their calculations show a charter school conversion will bring in more money for fine arts programs. Sarasota Herald Tribune.
Virtual schools. Florida Virtual School holds its first ever graduation for full-time students, reports the Seminole Chronicle. Lee County's virtual school, the Lee Virtual Instruction Program, gets a Bronze ranking from U.S. News & World Report's high school rating system, reports Fort Myers Beach Talk.
School technology. Foundations may need to help school districts shift into higher gear. StateImpact Florida.
Common Core. Crazy claim of the week: involves Glenn Beck, Common Core and eyeball scanners in Polk County. Oh, mercy. EdFly Blog.
Retiring teachers. A final farewell. South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Graduating seniors. A Pinellas teen with cancer finds the strength to walk with her class. Tampa Bay Times. (more…)
Teacher evaluations. The NEA and FEA file a federal suit against the new teacher evaluations system in Florida. Coverage from the Orlando Sentinel, Associated Press, Times/Herald, Tallahassee Democrat, Gainesville Sun, Pensacola News Journal, Gradebook, Education Week, PolitiJax, State Impact Florida, New York Times, Answer Sheet. FEA statement here. Lawmakers need to fix glaring flaws, editorializes the Lakeland Ledger. The Miami-Dade system plows ahead with its own remedies, reports the Miami Herald. School districts around the state are cooperating more to create the hundreds of new tests needed for the teacher evaluations, reports the Tallahassee Democrat.
Tony Bennett. Indiana folks make up his inner circle at DOE. Gradebook.
Michelle Rhee. Michelle Rhee was in Tallahassee Monday, meeting with lawmakers. Naked Politics.
School choice. With rezoning issues out of the way, Bay County cranks up its district school choice process. WJHG.com.
Career education. A big hit in Okaloosa. Northwest Florida Daily News.
School spending. The state Board of Education is not happy after the Department of Education says it overestimated the budget request for new technology by $342 million, reports StateImpact Florida. The Pasco school board decides, for now, not to follow Superintendent Kurt Browning's proposal to cut media specialists and reading coaches, reports the Tampa Bay Times. The Sarasota board follows through on plans to cut media specialists, reports the Sarasota Herald Tribune. (more…)
Charter schools. The Pinellas school district could lose $6 million next year if the school board approves a new charter school and the proposed expansion of several others. Gradebook.
Jeb Bush. Digital learning, Common Core and empowering the parents of students with disabilities top the legislative agenda for Jeb Bush's Foundation for Florida's Future, says executive director Patricia Levesque. StateImpact Florida.
School spending. Lawmakers consider bringing back the "critical needs" millage, reports Gradebook. The Lee school district is auctioning off two unused buildings, reports the Fort Myers News Press.
School safety. Lawmakers are poised to pass legislation that would allow school nurses to use EpiPens for students without a prescription. Tampa Bay Times. (more…)
Florida Formula. South Carolina is looking at third-grade retention and other parts of the Florida model. The State.
Parent trigger. The Senate Education Committee passes the parent trigger along - altogether now - party lines. The Buzz, WFSU, Tallahassee Democrat.
Charter schools. StateImpact Florida writes up a bill sponsored by Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, that would allow districts to create charter-like "innovation schools." (The Senate Education Committee passed the bill unanimously.) The Orlando Sentinel notes passages of another charter bill that would beef up accountability requirements.
Dual enrollment. The DOE picks the College of Central Florida to create a website promoting dual enrollment. Ocala Star Banner. (more…)
Charter schools. A charter school and the Pasco school district disagree about whether the school can increase its enrollment this fall. Tampa Bay Times.
Teacher pay. Republican lawmakers are moving ahead with a merit-pay alternative to Gov. Rick Scott's proposal for an across-the-board teacher pay raise, reports the Tampa Bay Times. More from Central Florida Political Pulse, StateImpact Florida, The Florida Current. Some Board of Education members push back against Scott's proposal, reports WFSU.
Parent trigger. Former state Sen. Paula Dockery weighs in on parent trigger with a no in this Florida Voices op-ed. Flagler Live writes up Tuesday's debate on parent trigger in the House Education Appropriations Committee.
Magnet schools. Duval Superintendent Nikolai Vitti is pushing to restore buses for magnet schools. Florida Times Union.
School choice. The St. Lucie County School Board makes changes to its choice and student assignment plans for high school students. TCPalm.com.
Special needs students. Another incident involving students with disabilities in Hillsborough, this one involving a bus driver who is caught on camera kicking an 8-year-old autistic girl, reports the Tampa Bay Times. More from the Tampa Tribune. (more…)
