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Stories about students and the initiatives designed to improve performance. Are the many education reforms Florida has adopted having an impact?

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February 26, 2014

Studies Find Textbooks Are A Poor Match For Common Standards

Brevard County schools are considering 30 new middle and high school textbooks for the nationally crafted math and language arts standards known as Common Core, Florida Today reports. The standards are currently used in kindergarten through second grade, and are scheduled to be used in every Florida grade when classes start this fall. Like Brevard […]

February 24, 2014

Why ‘Less Is More’ For A Rural Florida School Preparing For Common Core

In Defuniak Springs in Florida’s panhandle, the third graders at West Defuniak Elementary are learning division. Specifically, 72 divided by six. Their teacher, Casi Adkinson drew circles onto the board. “I share my 72 into my six circles,” Adkinson said. “Are we ready to do that together? Ready? 1,2,3,4,5…” With the class counting along, Adkinson […]

February 21, 2014

Documentary Sparks Conversation About Struggling School In Duval County

This weekend, a Duval County high school will be hosting a conversation about volunteerism, bridging disparities and the community roll of a historic African-American school. William M. Raines High School opened in segregated Jacksonville in 1965. Its first principal famously hired the best teachers he could find—recruiting educators with degrees from Columbia. For decades, it […]

February 19, 2014

Why The Debate Over Cursive Is About More Than Penmanship

Every October, high-school students across the country take the PSAT, or Practice SAT, a standardized test developed by College Board that provides high school students a chance to enter scholarship programs and gain access to college and career planning tools. But, it wasn’t the algebraic equations that terrified the kids. It was the cursive. Seriously. As the […]

February 17, 2014

Private School Scholarships Could Come With New State Testing Requirement

The debate over whether to require students using one of the state’s private school scholarship programs take state standardized tests is flaring up again. Florida lawmakers want to expand the state’s private school scholarship program for low-income students funded with tax credits. But Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, thinks the scholarships should also come with […]

February 13, 2014

Girls Who Code Launches In Miami, Tries To Close STEM Gender Gap

There’s an enormous push in Florida right now to grab more of the innovation economy, but we’re not the only state making a play for this sector. The competition nationally is fierce. Cities like St. Louis, Charlotte, and Phoenix have made bigger strides when it comes to growing as tech hubs. So local business leaders and […]

February 12, 2014

Explaining The Proposed Changes To Florida’s School Grading Formula

Florida’s school grades would focus on student performance on state tests, graduation rates and earning college credit or industry certifications, according to a proposal posted at the Florida Department of Education website. Florida’s school grades were intended to be an easy-to-understand way for parents to know how their child’s school is performing. But educators have […]

February 10, 2014

Core Questions: How Does Common Core Address Poverty?

Chris Guerrieri is a Jacksonville art teacher who also blogs about education. Last month he sent us an email about Florida’s Common Core standards. “My question was: How does Common Core affect poverty?” he asked. More than half of all Florida students qualify for the federal free and reduced-price lunch program. It’s a short-hand way […]

February 3, 2014

Computer Programming Could Count As A Foreign Language

Florida students could choose computer programming courses instead of a foreign language as part of a bill to help Florida schools add more technology and digital instruction. The bill would require state colleges to accept two years of computer programming if the courses applied to a student’s major. State universities would have the option of […]

January 28, 2014

Scott, Lawmakers Making School Technology A Budget Priority

The chairman of the Senate’s Education Committee said Gov. Rick Scott and lawmakers want to spend at least $40 million, and likely more, to upgrade school Internet capacity and add new computers, tablets and other digital tools. Sen. John Legg, R-Port Richey, said education technology is a priority for Scott and both Republican and Democratic […]

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