Christian Steen told a Florida House panel about the changes at his school this year. Students have new uniforms. A new culinary arts program has them thinking about job skills. The new principal, Cory Oliver, has boosted morale. “He’s able to connect with the kids, and now everything is running[Read More…]
Tag: school turnarounds
A new direction for Florida school turnarounds
This spring, Florida’s smallest school district launched an unprecedented turnaround effort led by a charter school organization. But Jefferson County schools may not be alone for long. On Monday the Florida Board of Education asked three North Florida school districts to revise plans to turn around long-struggling schools. It was[Read More…]
NOLA-style charter transformation coming to rural North Florida
GAINESVILLE – Last week, the Florida Board of Education approved a plan that would consolidate the two public schools in Jefferson County, Fla. and convert them to a charter school. As the board voted, Bill Brumfield, the newly elected school board chairman, breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God,” he[Read More…]
An ultimatum for a struggling school district with few options
A school district in rural North Florida is in dire straits, prompting state education officials to grapple with unprecedented questions. What happens when a school district can no longer operate its own schools? That possibility came into view Tuesday, when the state Board of Education, for the third time, rejected[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: FCAT scores, STEM teachers, super nerds & more
FCAT. FCAT writing scores up. FCAT reading and math scores flat. Miami Herald. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Palm Beach Post. Orlando Sentinel. Florida Times Union. StateImpact Florida. Gainesville Sun. Ocala Star Banner. Associated Press. Naples Daily News. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald Tribune. Pensacola News Journal. Tallahassee Democrat. Panama City News Herald. StateImpact has more[Read More…]
Florida schools roundup: charter schools, Common Core, school safety & more
Charter schools. The principal of an Imagine charter school that tried to separate from the parent company will leave at the end of the school year, and the school will remain with Imagine, according to a settlement deal, reports the Sarasota Herald Tribune. The Miami-Dade School Board approves contracts for a[Read More…]
Florida schools roundup: school choice, school rankings, school spending & more
School choice. Pasco Superintendent Kurt Browning says the district’s record in providing more school choice has been “abysmal.” Gradebook. Charter schools. The principal of a YMCA charter in Venice is put on leave for undisclosed reasons. Sarasota Herald Tribune. School turnarounds. Seven teachers who applied to keep their jobs at[Read More…]