The Back-To-School Economy: StateImpact Florida On The Sunshine Economy

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For the beginning of school, The Sunshine Economy focused on the economics of education.

A new school year is underway for children across Florida. A new year brings with it the potential of new learning, new skills, and new challenges.

Are our kids learning what they need to in order to compete in the global job market of the future?

WLRN’s Sunshine Economy looked at the education industry with “Getting Schooled, Public Education in South Florida.”

StateImpact Florida reporter Sammy Mack co-hosted the program with Tom Hudson. You can listen to it here:

Highlights from the show:

• Two of the nation’s largest public school districts are in South Florida. We talk with the superintendents of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools and Broward County Public Schools to hear how Alberto Carvalho and Robert Runcie are leading their districts’ efforts.
• The 2013-2014 school year brings further expansion of the Common Core curriculum. John O’Connor, StateImpact Florida education correspondent, reports on its implementation. And we hear from parents about their expectations.
• Charter schools continue to grow in Florida. Fort Lauderdale-based Charter Schools USA is one of the largest operators with more than four dozen schools in Florida plus additional schools across the country. We speak with its CEO Jon Hage at one of its earliest schools, Aventura City of Excellence School, in Aventura.
• Education is vital for a growing economy. It provides new opportunities, new ideas, strong communities and economic prosperity. Do teachers have what they need to get South Florida students prepared for tomorrow’s economy? We listen to several about how much of their own money then spend on their classrooms. And we speak with American Federation of Teacher’s union chief Randi Weingarten about why she thinks Florida’s accountability systems don’t work.
• Teachers are on the front lines of education, dealing with administrators, parents and students. As a teacher for 17 years,  Jeremy Glazer knows what it’s like to face a classroom of kids. He tells us what a teacher would like the community to know about life behind the desk.