Around the state: An upcoming career fair in Citrus, help for children of domestic violence survivors in Pinellas, college open houses and STEM support for Black girls. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:

Pinellas: With summer break in full swing, a local organization is making it easier for students to head into the next school year. Casa Pinellas launched its Back to School Drive to provide support to children of domestic violence survivors in Pinellas, and neighboring counties. Donations will be accepted until Aug. 5. ABC Action News.

Collier: Susan MacManus won't be at the helm of Champions for Learning, a Collier county education foundation, for the first time in almost three decades. MacManus, who was a founding member of the Champions for Learning board in 1990, retired to pursue her own education. Naples Daily News.

Citrus: A career fair hosted by the Citrus County School District will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 21 at the College of Central Florida Citrus Campus, 3800 S. Lecanto Highway in Lecanto. The career fair will offer chances for new and experienced teachers in all areas, from bus drivers to food and nutritional services for CCSD, which serves 15,000 students and 23 schools from preschool to grade 12. Citrus County Chronicle.

Civics initiative: Some educators in Florida say the state appears to be chipping away at separation of church and state, and creating a divide between teachers and students over gender identity. Teachers attending a recent Florida Department of Education training on a new civics initiative say the content pushed conservative ideologies over opposing views. WLRN.

University and college news: The College of Central Florida is inviting anyone considering college to an open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, July 14 in the Charles S. Dean Sr. Educational Center at the CF Citrus Campus. Students are encouraged to tour the campus and learn about more than 150 academic pathways that include job-training programs. Those who attend can also get help with financial aid and admission, and register for the fall semester that begins in August. Registration is encouraged. Citrus County Chronicle.  Only 63% of 2020 high school graduates or those who finished a high-school equivalent credential immediately enrolled in a two or four year college by October of the same year, data from the federal government found. The data comes from the annual "Condition of Education" report released by the National Center for Education Statistics within the U.S. Department of Education. Florida Phoenix. The Okaloosa County Extension Service, an outreach arm of the Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences at the University of South Florida, is providing an FAA remote pilot training session on July 13. NWF Daily News.

Ethics complaints update: The investigation into ethics complaints against a former band director at Leesburg High School and a former guidance counselor is still ongoing after it was discovered that both violated the Standards of Ethical Conduct and should be fired. Members of the Lake County School Board accepted their resignations in lieu of termination and then forwarded the investigation to the Florida Department of Education. Their fate now lies with the FLDOE. Daily Commercial.

STEM support: Atiyah Harmon, founder of Black Girls Love Math, wants Black girls to get involved in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) field. She launched her organization in 2020, with the goal of fostering a fun and encouraging learning environment that allows Black girls from K-12 to develop the confidence to explore mathematical concepts, get involved in competitions and receive mentoring and other services in a culturally responsive manner. It's a new organization that is part of a 21st-century movement to foster an interest in STEM for Black girls, since only 2.9 % of Black women earn STEM degrees. The 74th.

Opinions on schools: There is a concerted effort to blur the line between religion and state and interpret the history of the United States through a conservative Christian lens that whitewashes our past of slavery and segregation. The Miami Herald's editorial board. A paper recently published in Physical Review Physics Education Research by West Virginia University researchers boils down to this: High school physics is very important for students who are considering majoring in a STEM field in college. Anyone who tells students and parents otherwise is harming them and should stop. Paul Cottle, Bridge to Tomorrow.

(more…)

(more…)

ORLANDO – The invitation to visit central Florida’s newest charter school landed in Dawn and John Chaney’s mailbox at exactly the right moment.

It was the spring of 2010, and they were wrestling with a tough decision: where to send their only child for middle school.

A long-time teacher with Orange County Public Schools, Dawn knew first-hand the transition from elementary to middle school could be overwhelming, especially for a kid like Colin – a perfectionist who had always preferred the company of adults over children, an individualist who shunned the latest fashion trends, and a self-sufficient creature who insisted as a second-grader on doing his homework all by himself.

Unsure that their zoned public school was the right fit but worried about the expense of private school, Dawn and John toured Orlando Science School, then in its second year as a tuition-free public charter school.

They were impressed with the school’s state-of-the-art science and language labs and the abundance of extracurricular activities that included LEGO League, Science Olympiad and two robotics teams. They loved the school’s mission: to provide opportunities and resources for children to reach their potential in all subjects, with a special emphasis on STEM disciplines – science, technology, engineering and mathematics. (more…)

Seventh-grade student Jeremiah Graham thrives on the challenge of solving a math problem.

He enjoys turning numbers in his head and solving a mathematical problem backward by reversing each mathematical operation to get back to the beginning of the problem. That way, he says, he can understand the process much clearer.

Another student, Y’hara Lawrence, spoke fondly of the time her class made slime with Tide and glue.

Students also participated in an experiment in making snow. They constructed their own version of the Mayflower after learning how boats stay afloat when they are filled with cargo. Thye students took part in a competition this past November to gauge which ship could carry the most cargo.

River City Science Academy Innovation in Jacksonville is part of a growing network of schools that cater to students who delight in things like science experiments and robotics competitions.

The Innovation school was the fourth installment of River City Science Academy, a network of four charter schools that caters to students who thrive on lab experiments and robotics competitions. Its network includes the first high-performing charter school in Duval County. The Innovation school adds the arts to the schools’ characteristic emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math. (more…)

Florida lawmakers are once again pushing a proposal to expand computer science instruction and allow students to count high school credits in coding as foreign language classes.

A compromise bill that easily passed the Senate last year is back. It easily cleared its first legislative committee Monday. An identical version has been filed in the House.

The debate that still lingers around the proposal highlights the difficulty of giving students access to high-quality computer science courses.

Business and technology groups support SB 104 by Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg. They're joined by students like Ethan Greenberg, a sixth-grader from Pembroke Pines. He told the Senate Education Committee he became interested in computer science as he struggled with dysgraphia, which made it difficult for him to recognize letters and numbers. He overcame that obstacle by typing on a computer, and has since started learning to code.

His mother, Ryan Greenberg, joined him testifying in favor of the bill.

"When kids have a choice, they come to the classroom excited to learn and more than likely, will get a good grade in the class they choose," she said. "This will be an important step forward in our state's need to integrate technology into our education curriculum." (more…)

This year's science results on the Nation's Report Card brought good news for Florida students, who posted some of the largest improvements in the country.

Their results on the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress' science exams improved compared to 2009. And they rose faster than the nation as a whole, which also improved.

Florida's scores among Hispanic students were among the best in the country, as were scores for low-income fourth graders.

Historically, Florida's performance on the national assessments has been mixed. Its students have performed increasingly well in reading, especially in fourth grade. They've tended to struggle more in math and science, especially in eighth grade.

In this year's science results, eighth graders matched the national average score for the first time.

And fourth graders actually topped it, in a year when scores for the rest of the country also rose significantly.

Overall, Florida's scores rose by an average of seven points in both grades over six years, compared to a national jump of four points. (more…)

STEM. Florida's science results on the Nation's Report Card improve, and beat the national average. Orlando Sentinel.

Tax credit scholarships. Florida Today's Matt Reed examines the lawsuit against the state's tax credit scholarship program in a video segment. Step Up For Students, which publishes this blog, helps administer the scholarships.

Time suck. Palm Beach teachers miss hours of class time sitting in meetings. Palm Beach Post.

Dress code. The ACLU backs one student's protest. Tampa Bay Times.

Digital learning. St. Johns County school officials grapple with the state's new digital classrooms law. St. Augustine Record.

(more…)

Priorities. The Pinellas County school district plans to increase its focus on lifting achievement among low-income black students. Tampa Bay Times.

Charter schools. The Pinellas school board announces another, last-ditch attempt to save two foundering charter schools. Gradebook.

College courses. Manatee County principals would have the final say on whether high school students can enter college-level courses under a revised student-progression plan. Bradenton Herald.

Special needs. A special needs preschool on the Space Coast plans to add a kindergarten. Florida Today.

STEM. How Monroe County is expanding access to computer science courses. Bridge to Tomorrow. Escambia schools run a computer science camp. Pensacola News-Journal.
(more…)

School Board elections. Twelve candidates vie for four seats on the Duval County School Board. Florida Times-Union. Two incumbents there draw no challengers. Florida Politics. Former state board member and Gov. Rick Scott appointee John Colon will keep his Manatee County School Board seat after drawing no challengers. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. A Scott-appointed Broward school board member also wins re-election unchallenged, but two other board members draw opponents. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Pinellas school board races see last-minute shakeups. Gradebook.

Superintendent races. Martin County's incumbent draws a last-minute challenger. TC Palm. Leon County races for schools chief and other local posts are now set. Tallahassee Democrat.

Charter schools. The Florida Times-Union compares district and charter school test scores in Duval County. A Manatee County charter school will run its own bus fleet, using district-donated buses, to end a simmering transportation dispute. Bradenton Herald.

District growth. The clock is ticking for Volusia schools to create more space, as they prepare for an influx of 1,000 more students next year. Daytona Beach News-Journal. The Lee County school board grapples with a land acquisition deal. Fort Myers News-Press.

Innovation. School systems need to be liberated from bureaucracy, an entrepreneurial educator writes in the Panama City News Herald.

Credit recovery. A former student explains how her district steered her into an online option outside the state's accountability system — and says she benefited. Tallahassee Democrat. (more…)