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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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December 28, 2011

Pasco May Become Second Florida School District With Four-Day Weeks

The New Year will bring consideration of a four-day school week in a suburban Tampa district. It’s been the goal of Pasco County School Board member Steve Luikart since he came on the job a year ago. Luikart is a Pasco native who spent several decades as a teacher and administrator before running for a […]

December 27, 2011

Broward Biggest Violator Of Class Size Requirements

When Florida voters implemented the class size amendment in 2002, they mandated that public schools limit the number of students in core classes like math and science. The limit varies depending on the grade level. Schools were given until the 2010-2011 school year to be in full compliance. Since 2002, districts have been striving to […]

December 26, 2011

Feedback Loop: More On Students With Disabilities And The Law

Last week we ran a story talking to attorneys about what the law requires for students with disabilities. One expert we spoke with, Joy Zabala with the Center for Applied Special Technology, responded to clarify her position. Zabala said she’s most concerned that portions of federal disability law intended to provide access to students with […]

Orlando Charter Schools Buck Trend For Students With Disabilities

John O’Connor / StateImpact Florida Most facilities at UCP’s Bailes campus are designed to be accessible for students with disabilities, including this playground.Charter schools are supposed to give students an alternative to their neighborhood schools. As our investigation found earlier this month, most charter schools in Florida serve no severely-disabled students. But during our research, […]

December 22, 2011

Orlando Charter School Excels At Serving Students With And Without Disabilities

When her three-year-old granddaughter moved to Orlando, the dean of education at the University of Central Florida knew exactly where she should go — a school founded for children with disabilities. Young Ellie doesn’t have a disability. But Sandra Robinson says she’s still best served in the toddler program at the UCP Bailes campus in […]

December 20, 2011

Why Everyone Learns More When Students With Disabilities Are Included

More than 86 percent of charter schools do not enroll a single student with severe disabilities, according to a StateImpact Florida investigation. School district data shows that students with disabilities are often clustered into a small number of specialty charter schools. Meanwhile, most charter schools enroll very few students with profound disabilities — if any […]

December 16, 2011

Five Questions About Charter Schools And Disabilities Law

Tres Whitlock and his family said they were surprised to find themselves in legal limbo when they tried to enroll their son in a Tampa charter school. Tres Whitlock has cerebral palsy, and he said school officials told him they did not have the staff to meet his needs. Whitlock’s mother, Tonya, said she still […]

December 15, 2011

Cashing In On Kids: Investigations Raise Questions About Florida Charter Schools

New investigations by the Miami Herald and StateImpact Florida raise serious concerns about Florida’s charter schools – including who’s profiting from them, and whether they are serving kids with severe disabilities. That’s the topic of a one-hour radio special, “Cashing in on Kids,” by WLRN/Miami Herald News in conjunction with StateImpact Florida and WUSF Public […]

Florida Lawmakers Want Students To Know Details Of 9/11

Legislation filed in the Florida House of Representatives would require all Florida public schools to teach students about the events surrounding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the impact of those events on the country. Representatives Joseph Abruzzo (D-Wellington) and Lori Berman (D-Delray Beach) filed the legislation this week, known as House Bill 1027. […]

December 14, 2011

Our Journey Into Florida’s Matrix

Three months ago we sought to put some hard numbers on how many students with disabilities are enrolled in Florida charter schools. We had no idea how elusive that data is. First, we’ll skip to the end and tell you what our investigation uncovered: More than 86 percent of Florida charter schools have no students […]

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