Teaching

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Merit pay; eliminating tenure; new teacher evaluations — how are school, district and state policies affecting how educators and their students perform?

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November 12, 2012

A Florida Math Teacher’s YouTube Lessons Reach People in 100 Countries

About half a million people from around the world have been tuning in online to the math lessons of a Florida teacher, according to the Sun Sentinel. Rob Tarrou, a teacher at St. Petersburg High School, records lessons on algebra, trigonometry, calculus, statistics and other math subjects under his YouTube channel “Tarrou’s Chalk Talk.” Some videos have more […]

October 29, 2012

Unlicensed Military-Style Children’s Homes Collecting McKay Scholarship Money

Unlicensed religious children’s homes have collected more than $600,000 in Florida McKay Scholarship money, according to a year-long investigation by the Tampa Bay Times. The scholarships allow students with disabilities to use the money for tuition at the private school of their choice. But the Times found allegations of abuse at the homes, including requiring […]

October 23, 2012

66 Students in a Classroom: Why Some Subjects Have No Class Size Limits

Schools can pack as many students as they want into classes like Calculus, Writing, Spanish and Physical Education. There are no class size limits. But there is the issue of space. In order to accommodate 66 students at once, the girls locker room at Hialeah High is being used as a classroom. There aren’t enough desks […]

October 16, 2012

$2M Grant For University Of Florida Will Bolster STEM Teaching

Young students who have their eyes on a future in STEM-related careers are getting a boost from the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville. Gov. Rick Scott wants more degree programs in STEM fields – science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Scott believes that if Florida produces more STEM graduates, companies will be lured to the […]

October 12, 2012

Don’t Reform Schools, Transform Them

This is a guest post from North Carolina teacher Cindi Rigsbee, who participated in the Wednesday Twitter education discussion we hosted with Tell Me More. It was first posted at Rigsbee’s blog. I took a minute during my lunch break to hang out on Twitter, specifically to glance at the NPR Twitter Education Forum (#npredchat) […]

September 25, 2012

Teachers Earn Big Profits Selling Lesson Plans Online

A Georgia Kindergarten teacher has earned more than $1 million selling lesson plans to other teachers through a website, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. Deanna Jump’s story is unusual, but two teachers have earned more than $300,000 and nearly two dozen have earned more than $100,000. Here’s how it works: Since signing on to the site, […]

September 20, 2012

Chicago Teacher’s Strike Settlement A Victory For Actual Merit Pay, Researcher Argues

Education researcher Jay P. Greene argues the agreement between the school system and the Chicago Teacher’s Union is a victory for true merit pay over “phony merit pay.” What’s the difference? From Greene’s blog: True merit pay — the kind of compensation for job performance found in most industries — provides effective employees with continued […]

September 18, 2012

How The Governor Plans To Cut the Red Tape In Education

Gov. Rick Scott says he wants to reduce the burden on teachers by cutting down on paperwork and unnecessary regulations. During Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Scott said he wants teachers spending as much time as possible teaching. He’s convening a group of five superintendents to recommend ways to cut the red tape. “We’re asking everybody to come […]

September 16, 2012

Some Florida School Districts Not Checking For K12 Problems

Editor’s note: This story has been updated from the version originally published. Seminole County teacher Amy Capelle had to make a decision. Her supervisor at the nation’s largest online school, K12, asked her to sign a roster saying she’d taught 112 kids. She’d only taught seven. “If you see your name next to a student […]

September 13, 2012

Why Florida Teachers Cannot Strike the Way Chicago Teachers Can

Teachers across the state are showing their support for Chicago teachers on strike — by wearing red. Florida teachers are not allowed to go on strike because of collective bargaining and because Florida is a right-to-work state. Teachers get to negotiate their contracts and working conditions, and in turn they cannot strike — it’s against the Florida Constitution. […]

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