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The Ten Biggest Florida Education Stories of 2012

Tony Bennett's hire as Florida Education Commissioner was one of the biggest stories of 2012.

2012 was a busy year in Florida education. One state education commissioner left, while another will take the reins early next year. And Florida got great news on an international comparison. Here are the biggest education stories of 2012, with links to StateImpact Florida coverage. International test results — The biggest education story of the [...]

What’s Required In Florida School Safety Plans

A memorial for the 13 victims of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Littleton, Colorado.

A shooter entered a Connecticut school and opened fire Friday. While details are still emerging, it’s worth looking at what Florida schools must do to prepare for an on-campus emergency. The Florida Department of Education has a statewide policy outlining how school’s should prepare and respond to an on-campus emergency. The policy was approved in [...]

Top Three Education Commissioner Candidates On The Hot Seat Today

The State Board of Education will interview the three finalists for Education Commissioner in Tampa today.

The State Board of Education is expected to choose Florida’s new Commissioner of Education this week. The three finalists will be interviewed this afternoon in Tampa. They were chosen from an applicant pool of more than sixty. Interim Commissioner Pam Stewart did not apply. She also serves as Florida’s Chancellor of Public Schools. Stewart took [...]

The Problems With Florida School Data

Most people have heard about the problems with teacher evaluations or school report cards, but we've found errors in other state data as well.

Wednesday the Florida Department of Education unveiled statewide teacher evaluation data, part of a new law that overhauls how teacher performance is measured in Florida. The agency held a press conference by phone to discuss the accomplishment. And then the data quietly disappeared that afternoon. The agency later admitted that Hillsborough County school officials had [...]

Researcher Says State Charter School Study Was ‘Poorly Done’ And ‘Biased’

A University of Central Florida business professor and the Florida Department of Education have been swapping research the past week in a debate about whether charter schools perform better than district schools. UCF professor Stanley Smith opened the debate with his analysis of student achievement at traditional and charter schools. His general assessment is that [...]

State Analysis Says Florida Charters Perform Better Than Traditional Schools

Adam Miller with the Florida Department of Education says a department analysis shows charter school students perform better than district school students.

Here’s more fuel for the fire in the charter school debate. Student achievement data compiled by the Florida Department of Education suggests charter students are performing better than their peers in traditional schools. That goes against research by Dr. Stanley Smith, a University of Central Florida business professor. He found that charters perform worse than [...]

Conference Emphasizes What’s Working For Charter Schools

Charter school supporters are wrapping up their annual conference today in Orlando. More than 750 participants and 300 exhibitors registered for the two-day event. They’re hearing about charter school best practices and teaching strategies that use technology to improve learning. Over 80 breakout sessions are on the agenda, with titles like “Charter Support Unit: Here [...]

State Task Force Proposal Would Require School Districts To Fund Charter School Facilities

A state task force proposal would require school districts to give money to charter schools for maintenance, construction and facilities.

A state task force is considering a proposal which would require local school districts to give money to charter schools for facilities. Construction, maintenance and other capital expenses has been a growing concern for Florida schools as the state funding for those programs has decreased. A Florida Department of Education task force will meet this [...]

Some Florida School Districts Not Checking For K12 Problems

Seminole County schools surveyed parents to see if they recognized the teacher reported by K12.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated from the version originally published. Seminole County teacher Amy Capelle had to make a decision. Her supervisor at the nation’s largest online school, K12, asked her to sign a roster saying she’d taught 112 kids. She’d only taught seven. “If you see your name next to a student [...]

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