Governor Rick Scott announces the “$10,000 Degree Challenge” at St. Petersburg College.
More community colleges are accepting Gov. Rick Scott’s challenge to create $10,000 bachelor’s degree programs.
Scott issued the challenge Monday, calling on colleges to create affordable programs in high-demand areas like information technology, education, and engineering.
Already more than half of the 28 institutions that comprise the Florida College System have announced they will consider the proposal.
Roberto Martinez said it was a well-intentioned but bad idea to ask colleges “to issue a $10,000 bachelor’s degree without commensurately increasing state funding.”
He wrote, “With the deep budget cuts over the last five years, it is difficult to conceive cutting the cost of instruction even further while maintaining a quality education.”
Faculty at Brevard Community College and 27 other community colleges may be impacted by proposed changes to the way continuing contracts are awarded.
State education leaders are holding a workshop this afternoon on hiring requirements at state colleges
The State Board of Education wants to update the process of issuing continuing contracts — the community college version of tenure — and align the rule with Florida statutes.
Under the proposed rules, full-time faculty would have to meet theses requirements to be eligible for continuing contracts:
They must have completed five years of satisfactory service in the same college.
They need the recommendation of the president and approval by the board.
They must comply with criteria including continuing professional development, subject matter knowledge, feedback from students, and service to community.
Organizers put an emphasis on “high performing” because they want the lowest performers shut down.
Greg Richmond, President and CEO of NACSA, acknowledged that many charters are not serving students well.
“According to an analysis we have conducted on charter school performance on state reading and math tests, at least 900 charter schools across the country are performing in the lowest 15 percent of all public schools within their state, and that’s unacceptable,” Richmond said.
“We didn’t start the charter movement in order to create more under-performing schools.”
As part of the “One Million Lives” campaign, NACSA is promoting three types of state policy for smarter growth and stronger accountability in charters:
It’s the first time that “all states used a common, rigorous measure,” according to the federal agency.
Florida landed in the bottom 20 percent of states with an overall graduation rate of 71 percent in 2010-11. Just six states and the District of Columbia had a lower graduation rate than Florida.
Research by a UCF business professor suggests these high school students from Pensacola outperform their charter school peers.
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.
The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) has its own research that shows very different results. Generally, charter schools perform better than their traditional counterparts, according to the agency’s analysis.
Smith’s retort?
“It was like a poorly done, biased infomercial for charter schools,” Smith said.
“If one examines their results carefully, they are consistent with my findings, but they are misleading because the ‘study’ does not correct for income level in most or all of the comparisons.”
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 traditional schools when poverty and minority status are taken into account.
But state department of education data shows charter schools perform better.
The department is required to publish an annual report comparing the performance of students in charters versus students in traditional public schools.
The latest report for the 2010-2011 school year looks at performance according to grade level, subject area, and demographics.
In the near future, classroom textbooks could be stored on a Kindle.
As Florida works its way toward the digital transition in classrooms by 2015, a publication is questioning whether the potential health hazards are worth it.
Dumping textbooks for technology won’t be a problem for most students, who’ve grown up with cell phones and iPods.
Some adults, however, are having trouble with the change.
These parent and teacher groups say kids have their faces buried in video games too much as it is. They are particularly concerned about the youngest students.
Gov. Rick Scott and Senate President-Designate Don Gaetz.
The leadership of the Florida House and Senate officially changes hands this week when Rep. Will Weatherford and Sen. Don Gaetz are sworn in as leaders of their respective chambers.
Both Republican legislators have already been coordinating their committees and working on rules for the next legislative session.
Rep. Weatherford falls in line with Gov. Rick Scott’s agenda of promoting alternatives to traditional classrooms, like virtual and charter schools.
The 16th annual Florida Charter School Conference has more than 750 attendees and 300 exhibitors.
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 to Help You,” “Reinvent the Classroom by Unlearning,” and “Implementing Title I Programs in Charter Schools.”
UCF Professor Stanley Smith says his research shows charter schools perform worse than non-charters when poor and minority students are taken into account.
Dr. Stanley Smith, a professor at the University of Central Florida’s business school, analyzed school grades of Florida elementary schools last summer, examining the effect of poverty and minority status on those grades.
Smith found that “when the poverty and minority characteristics of the student population are controlled, the average charter school performs significantly lower than the average traditional public school.”
StateImpact seeks to inform and engage local communities with broadcast and online news focused on how state government decisions affect your lives. Learn More »
