When Florida first approved its private school tax credit scholarship program in 2001, Florida Education Association attorney Ron Meyer said education groups questioned the legality, but no one really objected to helping low-income students get out of low-performing schools. But then the scholarship program started to grow. Lawmakers approved a law that automatically expanded the […]
We wanted to offer a plug to the folks over at Step Up For Students, who are hosting an online Q & A about the state’s tax credit scholarship program Tuesday. Doug Tuthill, president of Step Up For Students, will answer questions about the program at redefinED.org beginning at 10:30 a.m. Step Up For Students […]
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio has proposed a federal tax credit to help fund private school scholarships. The proposal is similar to a Florida program created in 2001. Florida is one of 11 states with a tax credit scholarship. Here’s how it works. Students are eligible for the program if: Their family household income is no […]
Florida schools are in the midst of switching to new, tougher education standards adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia. Known as Common Core State Standards, educators say the new requirements will not only ask students what they know but require them to demonstrate how they know it. Wednesday night, St. Petersburg College […]
Politics and history are mixing in the debate over Amendment 8 on this fall’s ballot, The News Service of Florida reports. Amendment 8 would delete language from the Florida Constitution banning public money spent “directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution.” (You can […]
The company that turned YouTube into a tutoring service is coming to Florida’s private schools. Step Up For Students, the non-profit that manages Florida’s tax credit scholarship program for low-income students, is partnering with Khan Academy to put its software in 10 Tampa Bay-area private schools. It’s the first time the company has partnered with […]
The folks over at redefinED have compiled the enrollment figures for school choice programs across Florida, including McKay scholarship for students with disabilities, dual enrollment in college courses, home schooling and other options. Their conclusion: That a growing number of Florida students and parents believe they should be able to choose the school program which […]
The Foundation for Excellence in Education received $1.55 million from the Walton Family Foundation in 2011, according to a rundown on the Washington Post’s Answer Sheet blog. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush started the Foundation for Excellence in Education to push new education policies — some of which were pioneered in Florida during Bush’s two […]
One of Florida’s top education reporters has taken a job with the non-profit group that oversees a scholarship program for low-income students. Tampa Bay Times reporter Ron Matus is now the assistant director of policy and public affairs at Step Up For Students, according to The Gradebook. Step Up for Students is the Tampa-based group […]
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