He found that a sixth grader who exhibits just one of four warning signs is 75 percent more likely to drop out of high school.
From Diplomas Now:
“Half of the 500,000 kids who drop out of school every year come from just 12 percent of the nation’s high schools, or 1,700 “dropout factories.” A study from Johns Hopkins University found that students who are most at risk of dropping out can be identified as early as middle school through key indicators – poor attendance, unsatisfactory behavior, and course failure in math and English.”
At Miami’s Edison Middle School, the program has achieved some results:
Miami-Dade County Public Schools are beginning an in-school pilot program to educate fourth graders on nutrition, physical well-being and the appreciation of cultural diversity.
The program is in partnership with the nonprofit Common Threads.
The obesity program is one reason Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho will be honored this week for his work fighting childhood obesity in schools.
Carvalho, who’s been superintendent for four years in Miami, will be honored at Common Threads’ annual World Festival event tomorrow in Miami’s Design District.
Miami-Dade schools have a plan for a pilot program in select schools that will include 20- to 40-minute interactive lessons. The content incorporates Common Core State Standards in math and English.
Lee County Public Schools hold the 2nd annual STEM-tastic event for students and parents.
We’re learning more about the six Florida school districts that will get a share of more than $66 million from the U.S. Department of Education.
The grants are from the 2012 Teacher Incentive Fund. The money will cover increased salaries and training for educators in high-poverty schools — 35 districts chosen from across the country.
Florida Deputy Chancellor for Educator Quality Kathy Hebda said in a press release, “We know that successful schools start with talented educators and leaders. I congratulate these districts for being recognized as leaders in this important work, and I am excited to see their plans put into practice.”
Staying true to his word, Gov. Rick Scott will sit down again this afternoon with Florida Education Association President Andy Ford.
They’ll meet in the Governor’s Office at the Capitol to talk education policy.
“This needs to be the beginning of a long series of meetings that examines the direction we’re going with public schools and the education of our children in this state,” FEA spokesman Mark Pudlow said.
“For more than a decade, there have been massive and constant changes to our neighborhood public schools – largely without the input of teachers, parents or administrators. What has been done to our public schools can’t be fixed in a single meeting.”
This meeting follows a dinner earlier this month at the Governor’s Mansion. Scott hosted Ford and a handful of other education leaders as part of his week-long “listening tour” of Florida school districts.
After the dinner, Ford said he was surprised to realize that he and the governor “don’t disagree that much” on general principles. He said, “Who can argue with the fact that every kid ought to have a great education?”
The problem is that many students don’t have easy access to the internet.
Districts have a few years to work out the kinks. But they also argue the push to add updated technology — including digital textbooks — is an unpaid bill from the Legislature which will cost at least $1 billion.
Students will use a Mobile NASA Space Shuttle Flight simulator to bring their experiments to life. The simulator was created by the Florida State University Lab School.
Seven teams with five students each will be selected from the top scorers of the regional qualifier competition.
The current application deadline is Thursday, September 27, but the Iowa search firm Ray and Associates recommended an extension because of a lack of highly qualified applicants.
The firm, which helped recruit former Commissioner Gerard Robinson, is conducting the national search for free because Robinson didn’t stay two years.
Robinson walked away from his $275,000 salary after one tumultuous year on the job. His tenure was marred by a drop in the number of students passing the FCAT after the state raised standards and confusion over incorrect school grades. Robinson left at the end of August.
K-12 Chancellor Pam Stewart is serving as interim commissioner until a replacement can be found.
StateImpact seeks to inform and engage local communities with broadcast and online news focused on how state government decisions affect your lives. Learn More »
