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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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June 7, 2013

Commissioner Bennett Sees Mixed Bag In Student Test Results

Education Commissioner Tony Bennett is responding like a disappointed dad to news that Florida students did a little bit better on their standardized tests this year, but not as well as he would have liked. The Florida Department of Education released results in FCAT 2.0 and End-of-Course (EOC) assessments today. They show across-the-board improvement on EOC assessments, […]

What We Learned This Year: Manatee County School Board Member Julie Aranibar

Few districts faced as many issues during the past school year as Manatee County. Superintendent Tim McGonegal resigned in September, shortly after the school district learned accounting problems meant a multi-million budget shortfall. Since then the school district and its board have tried to figure out what happened, how the problem grew so large and […]

June 4, 2013

Sarasota County’s High-Tech Classrooms Have A Starring Role

The algebra problem asked the Sarasota County middle school students to figure out how much Sheldon, Amy and Howard – characters on the television show “The Big Bang Theory” – spent on tickets and popcorn while seeing “The Lord of The Rings.” The students talked through their work in small groups around the room. A […]

June 3, 2013

Read Florida’s New Law Targeting Online Bullying

Last week Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill targeting bullying, HB 609, into law. The law makes three big changes: Students can be bullied publicly or privately; defines cyberbullying as harassment using electronic means, such as email or impersonating someone online; and allows schools to get involved if off-campus bullying affects the targeted student’s on-campus […]

What We Learned In School: Teaching Is Hard. And Rewarding.

Here at StateImpact Florida, we spend a lot of time investigating the policies that affect education in Florida. This school year, we had loads to talk about: Common Core standards, changes to high school graduation requirements, the end of FCAT and the search for its replacements, expanded online education options, a one-time teacher pay raise. But two weeks ago, we […]

May 31, 2013

What Florida Data Say About The Effect Teachers Have On Math And Reading

The New York Times takes a look at why teachers have a tougher time improving reading performance than math performance. In part, it’s because math lessons are more discrete. A quiz can tell you which math concepts a student is having problems with, as a teacher notes in the story. But reading builds on many […]

Orange County Schools Want To Set An Example During Switch To Common Core And Digital Instruction

Orange County schools superintendent Barbara Jenkins says the district should be a leader as they switch to new education standards and add more required digital instruction. “Orange County Public Schools intends to be at the forefront of that change,” Jenkins said during her “State of the Schools” address last week with school board Chairman Bill […]

May 30, 2013

Orange County Opting For More K-8 Schools

The popularity of K-8 schools is growing in one of Florida’s largest districts. Orange County Public Schools will add up to five kindergarten through 8th grade schools to the three already in place. These are traditional public schools, not charters or magnets. Kids will be zoned for them just like any other. “A growing body […]

Video: Peek Into A One-To-One Classroom

Adam Redding researches the parts of a plant on his XO laptop.

Earlier this week, we took you to Holmes Elementary School in Miami to get a sense of a one-to-one classroom — where there’s one computer for every student. As Florida schools prepare for a state mandate that requires half of all learning materials to be digital by fall of 2015. Lawmakers and educators are trying to […]

May 28, 2013

Pinellas Superintendent Outlines District Goals At Education Summit

Education leaders gathered in Orlando today for a summit sponsored by the Florida Sterling Council, a not-for-profit corporation supported by the Executive Office of the Governor. The summit covered a wide range of issues facing schools and universities. Pinellas Superintendent Mike Grego laid out his plan to move the district forward as the state transitions […]

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