Learning

Background

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

Latest Posts

Follow this topic

January 26, 2014

Interview: Rethinking Zero Tolerance Discipline Policies In Florida Public Schools

In many schools, zero tolerance discipline policies dictate harsh punishment—expulsion, suspension and arrest—for breaking rules. But, as StateImpact Florida has been reporting, some districts are reconsidering zero tolerance over concerns about a rise in the number of children arrested on campus. One of those districts walking away from zero tolerance is in Broward County, where the schools formed a […]

January 22, 2014

Why A Business Owner Is Teaching South Florida Students To Write Computer Code

Felecia Hatcher is on a mission. She wants to bridge the tech education gap in Florida’s schools and give underserved students the chance to become web-based entrepreneurs. She started the program Code Fever last year to reach that goal. “Technology will allow [the students] to build their businesses and catapult their ideas much faster and definitely […]

January 16, 2014

Today: A Twitter Conversation About Getting Ready For College

The Education Fund in Miami is hosting an online chat today about the best ways for first generation and low-income students to earn a college degree. Lisa Ciacci, the Education Fund’s Smart Path to College program manager, will be on Twitter ready to answer questions. Advisers from similar programs in San Francisco and Philadelphia will […]

January 15, 2014

What It’s Like To Run An All-Girls School

Earlier this week we told you about why some students prefer single-gender classes, and a bill which would create a pilot program for single-gender elementary schools. We asked Karen French the principal of all-girls Ferrell Preparatory Academy, a public middle school in Tampa, about the differences in single-gender and traditional schools. Q: I assume you’ve […]

How Florida Should Modernize Its School Grading Formula

The Jacksonville Public Education Fund is recommending changes to the state’s school grading formula it believes will make the system fairer, more stable and easier to understand for schools and parents. With state schools making the full transition to Common Core language arts, literacy and math standards, the group says Florida should modernize the nation’s […]

January 13, 2014

Why Florida Wants To Expand Single-Gender Classes

A handful of public schools in Florida have either all-girls or all-boys classrooms. More could be coming. Rep. Manny Diaz, R-Hialeah, is behind a bill that would have one school in each school district offer only single sex classes. The proposed legislation would create a pilot project in designated districts for two years. “With the idea […]

January 10, 2014

Extra Reading Instruction Improved Most School Scores, Review Finds

The 100 Florida schools earning the lowest scores on the FCAT reading test are required to add an extra hour of instruction time. A new review from the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability has found the extra hour has helped students at most of those schools improve their reading scores. Lawmakers required […]

January 9, 2014

Florida’s Out, But Hillsborough Schools Are Giving PARCC A Trial Run

Students in Hillsborough County schools will field test the multi-state Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers test this year, despite state leaders rejecting the exam. School officials said one class at most of the county’s schools will try out the new exam. Students will take the math and language arts exam in […]

Seeking Top 10 Ranking, University of Florida Adds New Staff

The University of Florida is adding more staff in its effort to climb into the top 10 of public research universities. Lawmakers set the goal for UF last year — and set aside $15 million for each of the next five years to get it done. The biggest portion of that money was used to […]

January 7, 2014

A Teacher’s Inside View Of An Online School

A former teacher at a school run by online education firm K12, Inc. said she felt overwhelmed by the size of her class rosters and that online classes weren’t the right choice for the mostly poor communities K12 targeted. Teacher Darcy Bedortha published her story at Anthony Cody’s Education Week blog. I was an English […]

About StateImpact

StateImpact seeks to inform and engage local communities with broadcast and online news focused on how state government decisions affect your lives.
Learn More »

Economy

Oklahoma