Growth. The Hillsborough district puts off plans for a new middle school to focus its resources on accommodating enrollment growth at high schools. Tampa Tribune. Manatee schools will have to add portable classrooms to accommodate enrollment growth next school year. Bradenton Herald.
School choice. An add for presidential candidate Jeb Bush features a former school choice student. First Cost News. A Tampa Tribune columnist looks at vouchers' track record over the years.
Budgets. Sarasota schools officials say they're getting less funding than they'd expected. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. What's in the state education budget? Gradebook. redefinED.
Superintendents. Alachua's Owen Roberts gets a positive evaluation. Gainesville Sun.
Job security. Hillsborough teachers who failed to pass a state certification exam are set to lose their jobs, and a majority of them are assigned to low-income schools. Tampa Bay Times. All but seven annual teacher contracts are renewed in Brevard County district schools. Florida Today.
Teacher pay. Palm Beach teachers and support staff approve a pay raise. Sun-Sentinel. (more…)
Testing. More districts cut back local end of course exams. Tampa Bay Times. Palm Beach Post. Tallahassee Democrat. Former Education Commissioner Tony Bennett recalls the testing dilemma Florida faced during his tenure. Gradebook. The anti-testing movement has reached a tipping point, a guest columnist writes for the Florida Squeeze.
Catholic schools. Educators say their schools will benefit from the Notre Dame ACE Academies' expansion into Central Florida. Florida Catholic. A Catholic school administrator is moving on after a lengthy tenure leading a Miami all-girls school. Miami Herald.
Graduation. How do reading scores, retention, discipline and other issues correlate with high school completion? Gradebook. It's part of a search for answers on legging graduation rates in Hillsborough schools. Tampa Bay Times.
College readiness. Fordham's Chester Finn notes Florida's recent changes to remedial courses in a look at the meaning of college readiness. Flypaper.
Superintendents. Manatee's embattled superintendent plans to step down this summer. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Testing. StateImpact Florida answers questions about the Florida Standards Assessment, the test that will replace the FCAT.
Teacher conduct. A jury decides a fired Palm Beach County teacher should get $337,000 in back pay and damages. South Florida Sun Sentinel. A Lee County teacher accused of sexual misconduct lied about his criminal record on his job application. Fort Myers News Press. A former Manatee County School District employee settles with the district over charges the district retaliated against her for reporting inappropriate behavior on the part of a former assistant football coach. Bradenton Herald.
School crime. A Sarasota County student is charged with running a prostitution ring with students from two high schools. Sarasota Herald Tribune.
School security. Districts statewide may be able to hire private, armed security guards in the wake of a legal opinion from Florida's attorney general. Bradenton Herald. State Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, is bringing back a proposal to allow some school employees or volunteers to carry guns on campus. News Service of Florida.
School calendars. The St. Johns County School District considers starting the next school year Aug. 10 so the first semester can end at holiday break, but that would likely bring a wave of complaints. St. Augustine Record.
Superintendents. Seminole County Superintendent Walt Griffin and Miami-Dade County Superintendent Alberto Carvalho are among 100 superintendents who meet with President Obama to talk about school technology. Orlando Sentinel.
Charter schools. City officials in West Palm Beach are looking for an operator to run a planned municipal charter. Palm Beach Post.
Private schools. The superintendent of Warner Christian Academy responds to recent coverage in the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Budgets. Property tax rates are expected to fall in Duval County, though total tax collections are expected to rise. Florida Times-Union. The Pinellas district spending plan will be aired during a meeting today. Tampa Tribune.
Reading. A controversial title makes its way back onto a middle school reading list. Tampa Bay Times. Struggling Volusia schools add an extra reading hour. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Administration. The Fort Myers News-Press keeps digging into a principal's departure. A Manatee district employee faces discipline for lying to investigators. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Bradenton Herald.
STEM. StateImpact interviews the MacArthur Genius Grant recipient behind the Algebra Project, which is active in Miami-Dade. Perhaps math and science coursework should qualify students for merit-based scholarships such as Bright Futures, rather than SAT scores, Paul Cottle writes at Bridge to Tomorrow.
School choice. In an editorial, the Florida Times-Union criticizes the way school choice legislation passed this year, but also argues school districts should offer students more options. The Pinellas school board agrees to expand its magnet offerings but shelves a plan to add more fundamental schools. Tampa Bay Times. A federal grant could help the district diversify its offerings. Tampa Tribune.
Charter schools. Students at an Alachua County charter school are headed back to school. Gainesville Sun.
Common Core. Glenn Beck leads a national event mobilizing people against the standards. Sunshine State News.
Safety. A lawsuit contends an inflatable sumo match gone wrong led to child's brain injury at a Miami-Dade charter school. Miami Herald.
School grades. Parents rally around an IB program despite the school's grade falling to a D. Miami Herald.
Funding. Polk Schools see a slight funding boost. Lakeland Ledger. Manatee schools project a surplus. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Minority students. Duval schools support a national effort to close the achievement gap. Florida Times-Union.
Lawsuits. The statewide teachers union is fighting a new school choice law in court over the way the Legislature passed it. Associated Press. News Service of Florida. Orlando Sentinel. Saint Petersblog. Palm Beach Post. Miami Herald. Daytona Beach News-Journal. The Tampa Tribune, Florida Times-Union, NBC2 , WEARTV, and First Cost News talk to parents who hope the law will provide new options for their children. The Fort Myers News-Press and Naples Daily News focus on the local teacher who's the lead plaintiff.
Magnet schools. Gradebook considers how a proposed Pinellas magnet could affect an existing program nearby. A Tallahassee arts magnet wins recognition. Tallahassee Democrat.
School grades. A Pinellas school improves its grade from and F to a C, but not before a turnaround effort brings a staff shakeup. Tampa Bay Times.
Superintendents. Appointed or elected? That's the controversy before the Clay school board. Florida Times-Union.
STEM. Tougher math and science requirements can drive dropout rates higher. StateImpact. A Latino civil rights organization wants to eliminate ethnic disparities in science and engineering careers. Bridge to Tomorrow.
Budgets. The Okaloosa County school district saves millions with centralized budgeting, and plans to plow the proceeds into technology, transportation and other uses. Northwest Florida Daily News.
Summer. Students do custodial work and receive academic support during a Manatee summer program. Bradenton Herald.
Administration. The Manatee superintendent recommends back pay and benefits for a recently reinstated administrator. Bradenton Herald.
Charter schools. A veteran Pasco County teacher prepares to open a charter school to realize her vision for what education should look like. Tampa Bay Times. A South Florida city commission considers zoning changes after rejecting a charter school application. Tamarac Talk.
School grades. They're coming out today for middle and elementary schools. The Times offers a sneak peak of Tampa Bay-area results.
Top teachers. A Central Florida art teacher is named Teacher of the Year. Associated Press. Lakerland Ledger.
Common Core. Hillsborough schools officials plan public meetings on the Florida Standards. Tampa Bay Times.
Testing. Collier County teachers face consequences for helping students on exams. Naples Daily News,
Administration. Top Manatee County administrators say under a new superintendent, their district is overcoming years of past problems. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Campaigns. Collier school board candidates talk special needs and other issues at a candidate forum. Naples Daily News.
STEM. A Collier high school student excels at a Google science fair. Fort Myers News-Press.
Magnet schools. Hernando students bid farewell to visitors from China. Tampa Bay Times.
Charter schools. Manatee County charter schools reach an agreement with the school district on transportation costs. Bradenton Herald. Breakdown here.
Montessori Schools. Bradenton students head to Switzerland for a model UN competition. Bradenton Herald.
Superintendents. The Hernando superintendent's evaluation becomes contentious. Tampa Bay Times.
Attendance. Pinellas schools look for ways to get kids to come to class. Tampa Tribune.
Kindergarten. Orlando Sentinel columnist Beth Kassab reflects on her daughter's first year of school.
Entrepreneurship. Duval students plan a food truck specializing in healthy burritos. Florida Times-Union. Collier students pitch competing business proposals. Naples Daily News.
Contracts. The Hillsborough school district has a $1.5 million relationship with the state fair. Tampa Bay Times.
Employment. Pasco schools expect job vacancies. Gradebook.
Employee conduct. A Marion schools employee is accused of pawning district property. Ocala Star-Banner.
Tax credit scholarships. Parents of children who receive scholarships answer critics in the Florida Times-Union and the Ocala Star-Banner. The program enhances public education, Doug Tuthill writes in the Miami Herald. He is the president of Step Up for Students, which co-hosts this blog. The president of the Alachua County League of Women Voters criticizes charters and vouchers in the Gainesville Sun. A school board member also criticizes tax credit scholarships in the Sun, focusing on religious education. State standardized testing requirements won't appease all critics, but they might help the program in the long run, Paul Cottle writes at Bridge to Tomorrow.
School choice. Private and charter schools compete with magnet and career education programs in Palm Beach County, fueling a drive to create new options. Palm Beach Post.
Charter schools. Hillsborough officials are scrutinizing the boards that oversee schools managed by Charter Schools USA as lawmakers debate charter legislation. Tampa Tribune. The management group Academica faces federal scrutiny. Miami Herald. The Volusia County school district prepares to end a long legal battle with a failed charter school. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Dropout prevention. Pinellas schools plan a new alternative school aimed at at-risk students. Tampa Tribune.
Digital learning. Replacing old computers won't be cheap for Marion County schools. Ocala Star-Banner. Technology helps a Southwest Florida teacher enhance instruction. Naples Daily News.
Discipline. Kindergarten students face increased suspensions, which disproportionately affect minorities. Florida Times-Union.
Testing. A computer glitch affects FCAT administration in Miami-Dade schools. Miami Herald. A group of parents and teachers protests high-stakes testing. Fort Myers News-Press. Even at the height of FCAT season, educators say kids need a chance to get outside and play. Tampa Bay Times.
Charter schools. More could be closing in Broward. South Florida Sun Sentinel. Miami Herald.
Tax credit scholarships. Did top Step Up For Students officials need to register as lobbyists? Times/Herald. (Step Up co-hosts this blog.)
Testing. Florida Education Commissioner Pam Stewart picks AIR to develop the new wave of tests tied to Common Core. News Service of Florida. StateImpact Florida. Tampa Bay Times. Orlando Sentinel. Palm Beach Post. Associated Press. EdWeek. WFSU. Naples Daily News.
STEM. Manatee County schools focus on growing its science and math programs. Bradenton Herald.
Teacher unions. Allegations of inappropriate behavior with students dogs some candidates for union president in Pinellas. Tampa Bay Times.
Bullying. Polk Sheriff Grady Judd says parents need to be a bigger deterrent. The Ledger.
Budgets. Brevard parents hope to stave off school closures as money gets tight at the school district. Florida Today.
Textbooks. Lawmakers advance a bill that would remove the state from the textbook adoption process advances. Orlando Sentinel.
