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Putting Education Reform To The Test

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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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August 10, 2011

The Argument For Giving Illegal Immigrants Lottery Scholarships

StateImpact Florida’s Monday story about the effect of new Bright Futures scholarship requirements on illegal immigrants or the children of illegal immigrants prompted a number of comments from readers asking why those students should get the lottery-funded scholarships — or any public benefits — at the expense of another student. The story also spurred Juan, […]

Don’t Blame Testing for Atlanta Cheating, Former School Chief Says

Former Atlanta school chief Beverly Hall has a column in Education Week addressing her school district’s cheating on state tests. Her conclusion? Don’t blame the reforms.   “Should I have anticipated cheating, based on dramatic gains in test scores? With hindsight, I wish I had. But there was every reason to believe that our dramatic […]

August 9, 2011

Five Questions About Bright Futures Changes Answered

Yesterday’s story about a new requirement for the Florida Lottery-funded Bright Futures scholarship prompted a number of questions from readers, including how an illegal alien could get a scholarship in the first place? Here are answers to some of those questions. What has changed? The new law changes two requirements for Bright Futures. First, students […]

August 4, 2011

Needy Students Get Computer Vouchers

In an effort to help bridge the so-called “digital divide” among low-income students, internet provider Comcast is making some big promises: Vouchers for home computers Three years of internet service for $9.95 a month Every student who is eligible for free meals under the National School Lunch Program will qualify. And Florida has one of […]

Rollins, University of Florida Top State Rankings

Rollins College and the University of Florida top the list of Florida schools according to Forbes ranking of top colleges and universities, though no state schools crack the top 100. Rollins ranked #133 while UF came in just behind at #137. Florida State University ranked #193, but finished ahead of noted institution New York University. […]

July 22, 2011

Could Florida Benefit From Federal School Discipline Study?

Federal officials are concerned too many disruptive students are winding up in the juvenile justice system — and therefore not completing their education, according to Education Week‘s Politics K-12 blog. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan describes what he saw leading Chicago schools: “A small group of principals were calling the police too often to […]

July 19, 2011

Miami-Dade Says State School Grading System Needs Improvement

While the headline of this morning’s state Board of Education meeting was Miami-Dade and Duval county schools getting another year to turn around struggling schools, the takeaway was a conversation about shortcomings in the way Florida judges troubled schools. The problem is the state expects more once schools are classified as troubled, school officials said, […]

July 18, 2011

Welcome To StateImpact Florida

You’ve found Florida’s new source for statewide education coverage. Here’s what we’re planning. StateImpact Florida is a new project from National Public Radio and Florida public media with an emphasis on in-depth and investigative reporting. Florida has been a leader in education reform for more than a decade and is now exporting those ideas to […]

About StateImpact

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