Learning Spotlights
Get ready to be inspired by innovative ideas and practices in education. Our spotlight shines on groundbreaking innovations that are transforming the way we learn and teach.
Meet the SkiSibs: The sister/brother combo conquering Florida one triathlon at a time
SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. – Edelweiss Szymanski turns 10 on a Friday in December. She will celebrate the milestone by running a 5-kilometer race in Daytona Beach. The next day, she’s scheduled to compete in a triathlon. No pizza party. No theme park. How many 10-year-olds want to run three miles on... READ MOREBy running the Chicago Marathon, Caleb Prewitt continues to raise the bar for the Down syndrome community
Caleb Prewitt continued to shatter the perception of what someone with Down syndrome can’t do when he conquered the 26.2-mile course at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Oct. 12. Caleb,...
READ MOREFree school? Microschool? Unicorn school? Whatever you call it, it’s been thriving for 50 years
ARCHER, Fla. – Archer is a crossroads community of 1,100 people 15 minutes from the college town of Gainesville, but far enough away to have its own quirky identity. It’s...
READ MOREEducation choice scholarship a ‘game-changer’ for military family transferring to Florida
It’s been a month since classes started, and Matthew Ottenwess is settled into his freshman year at Tampa Catholic High School. He’s made friends and likes his teachers. His high score...
READ MORELofty dreams and a PEP scholarship power 12-year-old pilot in training
MELBOURNE, Fla. – When it comes to her son’s education, Denice Santos always thinks about the big picture. “What can we do to merge his goals?” she said. “Education, and...
READ MOREChickens, horses and ed choice scholarships combine for an ideal home education setting
This is what home education looks like to Vivian McCoy: Feeding horses in the morning. Mucking stalls, too. Doing the same in the late afternoon, plus whatever else needs to...
READ MOREPEP students flock to Sarasota’s Fab Lab, where STEAM learning is fueled by their imagination
SARASOTA, Fla. – Duct taped to the wall of Eliah Hillebrand’s bedroom, next to the light switch, is the engine from one of his remote-controlled cars. Attached to that is...
READ MOREWith the help of a private school scholarship, Duke is ‘ready for the bigger world’
CLEARWATER, Fla. – Gedontae “Duke” Rich never considered himself Ivy League material until, as a high school junior, he was approached by a football coach from Princeton University who offered a...
READ MOREOf Funyuns, Skinny Pop, and iced tea: How Jack brought healthy snacks to his school
TAMPA, Fla. – It was July 2024, and Jack Canterbury celebrated a birthday. His 14th. That led to a question he had been waiting a while to ask his mother....
READ MOREPrivate school scholarships allowed the Roland family to meet the academic needs of their children
Markala was Marlena and John Roland’s first child, and there were more on the way – four more, in all. And Markala was 5, so the Roland children were going to reach school age in quick succession....
READ MOREThis kid can do things: The Caleb Prewitt Story
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – David Prewitt was worried. His wife, Karen, wasn’t. “He can do it,” she said. Their son Caleb, 13 at the time, was participating in his first open-water...
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