Influence

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Education is big business. These are stories about the politicians, businesses, lobbyists and other leaders seeking to impact education decisions.

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April 23, 2013

Read The Florida Department of Education Investigator’s Report On K12, Inc.

Below is the draft report from the Florida Department of Education inspector general. The agency was asked to investigate whether K12, Inc. was using properly certified teachers in Seminole County. The report finds no evidence that the company used teachers lacking Florida certification. But the report found the company did use three teachers who were […]

Read K12, Inc. and Seminole County Schools’ Response To State Investigation

The Florida Department of Education inspector general has released a draft report in its investigation of online education firm K12, Inc. The agency was asked to investigate whether K12, Inc. was using properly certified teachers in Seminole County. The report (read it here) finds no evidence that the company used teachers lacking Florida certification. But […]

April 15, 2013

State Board Will Get Update On Common Core And Teacher Raises Tuesday

Will Florida need a ‘Plan B’ test for new standards set to hit state schools in 2014? And if not, will school have the computers and bandwidth necessary for the online tests? That’s just one item on tomorrow’s State Board of Education agenda. Education Commissioner Tony Bennett has already said he’ll be updating progress on […]

April 12, 2013

Education Commissioner Suggested Senate Parent Trigger Change

Senators said they changed a key provision in the session’s most controversial education bill on the advice of Education Commissioner Tony Bennett. Thursday a Senate panel approved the Parent Empowerment in Education bill, better known as the parent trigger bill. Members altered the bill to conform with the House version, which has already been approved […]

April 11, 2013

Lawmaker Wants Parent Involvement, Not Parent Empowerment

Sen. Bill Montford, a Democrat from North Florida, doesn’t like the Parent Empowerment in Education bill. It’s much better known as the parent trigger bill. “We know overall that the majority of students that are successful have parents that are involved,” Montford said. “It’s critical to have parent support and involvement in the schools.” Montford […]

Common Core Critics Want Republicans To Oppose Standards

The Republican National Committee is meeting in Hollywood this week, and could take up a resolution opposing new education standards fully adopted by Florida, 44 other states and the District of Columbia. The blog Truth In American Education has posted what it says is the resolution opposing the standards, known as Common Core. The document […]

April 10, 2013

State Website Measures Whether Florida Schools Are Ready For New Standards And Testing

The State Board of Education will get an update next week on Florida’s next education standards, the Common Core State Standards. The meeting will include information about the technology needed to implement the new assessments that are scheduled to begin in early 2015. Florida is among a group of states developing the PARCC assessments, or […]

April 9, 2013

Tony Bennett Says Update On Common Core Progress Coming Next Week

Education Commissioner Tony Bennett says he will have more information next week about plans for implementing new education standards known as Common Core. The State Board of Education is meeting next week. “We have rolled out a very aggressive implementation plan,” Bennett said. “We know that we have to be fully implemented and prepared to […]

Lawmaker Files Bill To Exempt Teacher Evaluation Data From Public Records

A Florida lawmaker has filed a bill which would keep teacher evaluation data private, according to the Florida Times-Union. The bill, filed by Fernandina Beach Republican Janet Adkins, is in response to a Florida Times-Union lawsuit seeking the data under state public records laws. At issue are “value-added scores,” which uses a complex statistical formula […]

April 8, 2013

A Q & A With Foundation For Florida’s Future CEO Patricia Levesque

Patricia Levesque runs two foundations created by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush — the Foundation for Florida’s Future and the Foundation for Excellence in Education. Levesque and Bush are a powerful team advocating for school choice, the controversial parent trigger bill, and Common Core standards being implemented nationwide. Levesque is a divisive figure, drawing criticism […]

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