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Putting Education Reform To The Test

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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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November 28, 2011

Lawsuit Filed Against Florida Principal Over Religious Emails

The latest kerfuffle involving religion in schools comes to us from Clay County in a suburb of Jacksonville. A school principal is being sued by an assistant principal over what the plaintiff refers to as state-sponsored religion. Linda Turner is the principal at Bannerman Learning Center in Green Cove Springs. She is being sued, along […]

November 22, 2011

Article Rebuts Assertion That Online Learning Companies Bought America’s Schools

A recent article in The Nation magazine accused business leaders of using legislative tactics to hide their true intentions, which include privatizing virtual public schools. Writer Lee Fang talked about Florida as a leader in the pursuit of privatized education through vouchers and charter schools. But another writer says Fang got it wrong. Fang cited […]

November 18, 2011

Petition Seeks to Remove Florida Governor’s Name From Diplomas

Some students working on college degrees in Florida are signing a petition asking Governor Rick Scott not to sign their diplomas. The creator of the petition says it’s because of the governor’s repeated assaults on the Florida education system. Petition author Eric Curtisson writes that Scott works constantly to remove students’ rights to higher education. […]

November 17, 2011

Read the University of South Florida’s Response to Gov. Rick Scott

A few weeks back Gov. Rick Scott sent state universities a list of questions for data on university students and graduates — including how much they are earning. It’s all part of Scott’s push to realign state universities so that they produce more graduates in fields expecting job growth. Scott has emphasized science, technology, engineering […]

November 16, 2011

Florida Mom Accused of Attacking Her Daughter’s Bully

An Orlando mom just gave her child a lesson in how not to handle a bully. 31-year-old Leslie Ann Thomas is facing a string of charges for attacking an Orange County middle school student. Investigators say Thomas did not have permission to be on school property when she entered the lunchroom and hit one of […]

November 11, 2011

Feedback Loop: A Hug by Any Other Name

When is a hug innocent or inappropriate? Administrators at Southwest Middle School in Palm Bay adopted a zero tolerance, no-hugging policy so school officials would not have to differentiate. But, that policy resulted in the in-school suspension of two Florida middle school students for hugging even though the principal said it appeared innocent. Zero tolerance […]

November 9, 2011

USF Polytechnic Wins Bid for Independence…Sort Of

Supporters of independence for USF Polytechnic in Florida have won a crucial vote by the university system Board of Governors. But they didn’t get everything they wanted. Board members voted 12 – 3 in favor of splitting Polytechnic from the University of South Florida…but not right away. USF Polytechnic has to jump over some hurdles […]

November 7, 2011

Why Floridians Should Pay Attention to Ohio’s Issue 2 Vote

Ohio voters head to the polls Tuesday to vote on a law limiting public employees’ collective bargaining rights, including teachers. Florida residents might want to keep their eyes on that decision. Gov. Rick Scott and allies such as Patricia Levesque of the Foundation for Florida’s Future have made no secret of the fact that they […]

Two Florida Middle School Students Suspended For A Hug

A hug is as popular as a handshake in the South.  We greet friends and family with a hug. We bid farewell with a hug. Just tell your kids not to do it in school. Two Brevard County middle school students received a day long, in-school suspension last week after the principal saw them hugging. […]

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