Florida school districts will have to come up with a detailed strategy for using technology in their classrooms under a bill Gov. Rick Scott approved today alongside the state budget. The governor approved the $77 billion spending plan that sets aside additional funding for “digital classrooms,” as well as legislation[Read More…]
Tag: single-gender schools
Florida lawmaker wants to expand single-gender classes
All-boys and all-girls education may get a push from the Florida Legislature. A bill filed by Rep. Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah, would establish a statewide pilot project, allowing up to five large Florida school districts to designate an elementary school as a single-gender school in its core classes. The academic[Read More…]
Florida roundup: charter schools, private schools, school choice lotteries & more
Private schools. What happens to private school records when private schools close? Sometimes, they disappear. Palm Beach Post. Charter schools. The Broward school district is taking a closer look at how much it charges charter schools for bus transportation after a citizens task force complains the district is losing money on the[Read More…]
Word for word: Tony Bennett on school choice, school districts and social justice
Editor’s note: As we reported last night, Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett made newsworthy comments yesterday when he spoke at an all-boys magnet school in Tampa. He suggested school choice wasn’t a matter of public vs. private, and credited Florida school districts – Hillsborough’s in particular – for expanding magnets, career[Read More…]
Tony Bennett will highlight National School Choice Week events in Florida
It’s only fitting: Florida, a trailblazer in expanding school choice, will be among the busiest states during National School Choice Week. This year’s celebration, which officially begins Sunday, is by far the largest ever, with more than 3,500 events in 50 states, up from 406 last year. Florida has at least[Read More…]
All-girl charter school uses horse therapy to boost self-esteem
Sixteen second-grade girls rode the school bus with the windows open, pigtails and ponytails whipping in the wind. For many, it was their first trip outside the city. “It smells like grass,’’ said one girl. “It smells like McDonald’s,’’ said another. “No,’’ said teacher Matilda Bediako-Ortiz, holding her nose, “it[Read More…]
At this Florida school, lessons from gardens, food drives, furniture repair
Ryan Wallace left his big, cliquish high school last spring for The Foundation Academy, a non-denominational Christian school with vegetable gardens and an aquaponic farm. “I wanted a chance to try something new,’’ said Ryan, now a 17-year-old junior planning a dodge-ball fundraiser for his class president campaign. Twelve-year-old Marc’Anthony[Read More…]
Florida roundup: Voucher accountability, single-gender schools and more
Vouchers need more accountability. So say David R. Colburn, director of the Askew Institute at the University of Florida, and Brian Dassler, chief academic officer for the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, in this exclusive op-ed for the Tampa Bay Times. Response here from the Heartland Institute, which says[Read More…]