Auburndale Fruit Company supplies watermelon as part of Florida’s “Farm to School” Program.
Florida and other states are phasing in new standards for school lunches. Fat and calories are being reduced as more fruits and vegetables are offered.
The National School Lunch Program requirements stem from the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which focuses on improving child nutrition.
Florida is implementing new requirements for kids who buy lunch at school. This tray belongs to a student who liked the pizza more than the healthy offerings.
“I hate them.”
“They’re disgusting.”
These sentiments are from elementary students around Tallahassee who aren’t fans of their school’s vegetables.
“I cannot think that they’re actually real.”
“Our vegetables don’t taste real and they look like green spaghetti.”
Fortunately, not all of their peers agree.
Today, kids at Ruediger Elementary School are getting broccoli and bananas on their plates. They have other options, too.
“I take the salad and I take the fruit,” 11-year-old Shaniya Storey said. “I eat most of the carrots off the salad.”
Florida teachers may soon have debit cards to cover their classroom supplies.
The governor who cut $1.3-billion in education funding during his first year in office – then put a billion back during the second year – now wants to give every teacher in Florida a debit card.
That’s one element of Governor Rick Scott’s new education plan.
The debit cards would enable teachers to stop spending so much of their own money on supplies for students. Scott is calling it the Teacher Supply Program.
He said it would be “supported by state, district and hopefully private sector jobs to purchase supplies for their classroom without spending personal money like they do today.”
A survey conducted by the National School Supply and Equipment Association found that teachers cover 77 percent of their classroom supplies.
In a survey, more than half of Florida’s 2011 Sunshine State Scholars said they plan to pursue higher education degrees in-state, rejecting the opportunity to attend Ivy League schools.
Gov. Rick Scott has said Florida needs more graduates in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).
He said a highly trained workforce will lure high-tech companies to the state, resulting in high-wage jobs.
The Scholars program, sponsored by the Florida Education Foundation, recognizes the top 11th grader from each school district based on certain academic criteria.
The winners are considered the state’s top STEM students.
We’ve heard a lot from educators who support Democratic President Barack Obama for reelection. The National Education Association has endorsed Obama.
But there are plenty of teachers who support his Republican challenger, Gov. Mitt Romney.
According to EdVotes.org, about 40 percent of Florida Education Association (FEA) members and at least 25 percent of NEA members are Republicans.
Nancy Puri is a member of the FEA. She is a visual arts teacher with Polk County Public Schools and holds a Master’s degree in leadership administration. She is also a Romney supporter.
Q: What do you like about Gov. Romney’s proposed education policy?
Students at the University of Miami (UM) are protesting the firing of a popular cafeteria worker.
Betty Asbury was fired two weeks ago by the food service company Chartwells. According to Asbury, she was fired after a man walked by her cashier post without paying for breakfast.
Asbury says her district manager reviewed security video and saw that the man didn’t eat though — he was simply looking for the restroom.
Chartwells would not confirm the specifics of the firing citing confidentiality laws.
It said the company can fire its workers for any reason since they are “at-will employees.”
But students miss the employee they call Miss Betty.
Lynn University's Wold Performing Arts Center will host the final presidential debate of 2012.
The presidential candidates are heading to Boca Raton, FL. President Barack Obama (D) and Gov. Mitt Romney (R) will face off at Lynn University tonight for their third and final debate.
The number of reporters covering the event tonight will likely far exceed the number of students enrolled at Lynn.
This small, private institution in southeast Florida has a total student population of approximately 2,100. Students hail from 44 states and 78 countries. The student-faculty ratio is 16:1.
Even with small classes, Lynn is among five private colleges in Florida that were recently cited for low graduation rates.
Should students have different academic expectations based on race?
Gov. Rick Scott wants the State Board of Education to make changes in its plan to set passing scores based on a student’s race.
But he isn’t saying what the Board should do to alter the plan.
The governor says every child should be performing on grade level in subjects like math and reading.
“I learn differently than other people learn,” he said. “But I do know that all children can learn, and we should have high standards for everybody.”
The Board of Education’s five year plan sets higher passing scores for Asian and white students, but also sets higher benchmarks for improvement among black and Hispanic students.
Scott wrote a letter to the Board, saying their strategy doesn’t do enough to close the achievement gap. Continue Reading →
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