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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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March 16, 2012

Feedback Loop: The Lords Of Discipline Edition

Sarah Gonzalez’ stories this week about corporal punishment in Florida schools sparked plenty of interest after they were picked up by NPR, The Huffington Post and a number of parenting and legal blogs. ABC News posted their own story today. If you missed any of Sarah’s coverage, check it out below. Why Florida Schools Want […]

March 15, 2012

StateImpact Florida Is A Winner

The Education Writers Association announced its national awards today, and StateImpact Florida took home the top prize for journalism blogging. Our collaborative investigation with the Miami Herald looking at the number of charter schools enrolling students with severe disabilities took second place in the investigative broadcast category. We’ve only been up and running since August, […]

Explaining How “Pink Slime” Became The Latest School Lunch Controversy

So-called “pink slime” has joined ketchup-as-a-vegetable, peanut allergies and chocolate milk as the school lunch controversy of the moment. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Thursday that schools will have the choice of whether to purchase ground beef that contains the filler product critics have called “pink slime.” The filler is beef trimmings from which […]

Some Florida Students Make The Paddles Used To Discipline Classmates

The late comedian Richard Pryor had a classic bit about being forced to find and strip a “decent switch” so that his grandmother could administer a “decent whippin.’” Florida students in school districts that still use a paddle to spank misbehaving pupils know the feeling. At Holmes County High School in Bonifay, Fla., students make […]

Florida State University Building Online Hub For Charter Schools

A charter school affiliated with Florida State University is building an online community to support the state’s more than 500 charter schools. The site, developers say, will serve as a hub for curriculum, instruction and assessment assistance tailored for charter schools. The hub will build off the current CPALMS site, which offers the same types […]

March 14, 2012

Explaining Florida’s Booming Online Academy

Education Week has a nice explainer on how the Florida Virtual School works, including shortcomings in the way the school is funded. The piece also looks at school performance, referencing a Tampa Bay Times story that looked at whether any evidence exists that the school is out-performing district schools. Also worth noting is this follow-up, […]

March 13, 2012

Why Florida Schools Can Paddle Students Against Parents’ Wishes

State law allows schools in Florida to punish students by spanking them with a paddle, which is often a wooden or plexiglass board. The administrators at most schools with corporal punishment policies ask parents for permission to paddle their children. Many principals say they will not paddle a kid against the parent’s wishes. But schools […]

March 12, 2012

This Week In Florida School Shaming

The parents of a South Florida seventh-grader forced him to wear a sandwich board to publicize his poor grades and preference for cracking up his classmates, according to WSVN television. Michael Bell Jr. is standing at a Kendall intersection wearing the sign. As other students enjoy their spring break, Michael will be out holding his […]

Mapping Corporal Punishment in Florida Schools

Find out which Florida school districts used corporal punishment in the 2009-2010 school year. Click on individual district to see specific schools and numbers. Read the story. [fusion_map] Source: Florida Department of Education | Download the data

March 8, 2012

High Tech Orlando Reading Program Helps Those Struggling Most

A screenshot of Letters Alive in action. Reading teacher Audra Cervi says kids pay attention to their reading lesson when the letter ‘J’ turns into a jumping, blue 3-D jaguar. Cervi places a flash card with the letter J under a special camera. Across the room a jaguar springs to life on an electronic screen. […]

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