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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, 2015

Superintendents Say Fewer Florida Students Will Repeat Third Grade Next Year

The superintendents of Florida two largest school district say it is less likely they’ll make students repeat third grade next year because of low state reading test scores. State law requires that students earning the lowest score on the reading exam have to repeat third grade unless they are granted an exemption. About 16,000 students […]

May 18, 2015

Charter School Takes Aim At At-Risk Students

Of the more than 600 charter schools in Florida. Some focus on the arts, some on sciences. Others are high schools that help students who are at risk for not finishing or dropping out completely. At the crossroads of busy four lane highway in Clearwater, students have to make their way through the noise and […]

May 11, 2015

As Florida Reduces Testing, Teacher Evaluation Questions Remain

Florida lawmakers’ decision to end mandatory final exams for every class will mean that more teachers’ performance will be judged on subjects they don’t teach. Concerned about the amount of testing in schools — and pressured by activists and educators — this year lawmakers rescinded a state law that requires school districts to have a […]

May 4, 2015

John Oliver Spends 18 Minutes Shredding Standardized Testing

John Oliver spent 18 minutes taking on standardized testing, teacher evaluations and all things “accountability” related on his show, “Last Week Tonight.” And, of course, Florida plays a starring role. Warning: Salty language, off-color jokes and test monkeys ahead.

It Takes A “Forest” To Feed An Elementary School

Rain is terrible when you’re trying to give tours of your new garden. But it’s great for the spinach, sweet potato and purple passion fruit rapidly taking root. On a very rainy day, Kelsey Pharr Elementary third graders Ronnield Luna and Jeffrey Arroyo are showing grownups around what used to be a grass field. Now […]

April 27, 2015

Explaining Florida’s For-Profit College Industry

Miami Herald reporter Michael Vasquez has spent a year digging into Florida’s for-profit college industry for a series called Higher Ed Hustle. About 300,000 Florida students attend a for-profit college, which often specialize in training low-skill workers for a new career. But students often find their degree doesn’t qualify for the career they were seeking, […]

April 23, 2015

Miami-Dade Eliminates Most Local Final Exams

The Miami-Dade School District is taking advantage of a new state law and eliminating more than 300 final tests — also known as end-of-course exams. The law rescinds a requirement that districts give students a final exam in all subjects that don’t already have a required state exam. “Today’s announcement should come as welcomed news […]

April 20, 2015

New Broward College Program Wants To Train Young Artists And Designers

A new program at Broward College has just eight students and seeks to train the next generation of South Florida artists and designers. The school hopes to earn a national certification for the Visual Arts and Design Academy this spring – becoming the first community college in the South to have that. Florida’s higher education […]

April 13, 2015

Required Financial Literacy Course Gets Second Chance in Florida Senate

Bills filed in the Florida House and Senate would require high school students to take a one-semester financial literacy course. But with just three weeks left in the legislative session, the proposals (House bill 29 and Senate bill 92) haven’t been discussed by committees. Now, there’s another option in the Florida Senate to get the […]

April 7, 2015

Opinion: Florida Universities Should Invest In More Hands-On Science Lessons

As a physics professor at one of Florida’s public universities, I am always looking for ways to encourage students and their parents to take on the challenge of majoring in science or engineering in college. A few weeks ago, I visited with parents of middle and high school students who attend a science-oriented school near […]

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