Austin Beaucage, 16, at his home in Key Largo, Fla. He doesn't want to go back to school after the summer break because he says there is too much school bullying.
Freshman Austin Beaucage has been picked on his whole life.
He’s small for his age and socially awkward.
But the bullying was never like last month at Coral Shores High School in Key Largo, Fla.
“Some senior locked me in a closet in my 6th period and he wouldn’t let me out,” he said.
“And I was banging on the door and then the other kids in the class were laughing.”
Austin, 16, speaks with his head down. His lips hardly move.
He says he was locked in the closet for most of the period.
According to his school district policy, this is not considered school bullying.
Activists Cheryl Little and several DREAM Act supporters held a press conference at Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus on Friday.
Young immigrant rights activists in Miami are celebrating and breathing a sigh of relief.
President Barack Obama announced that undocumented young people in the U.S. will no longer have to fear deportation.
His executive order applies to immigrants under 30 who got here before they were 16 years old.
Immigration has long been a contentious and unresolved political issue in Washington, but to Jose Machado, an undocumented 17-year-old in Miami, this is about survival. Continue Reading →
Florida’s public schools rely heavily on parents to provide supplies and help with fundraisers. It turns out businesses also have crucial roles to play in providing resources for schools.
“Their pledge to student academic success through business partnerships embodies the fundamental relationship between education and the workforce,” said Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson. “As students prepare for post-secondary education and careers, the skills they learn today through these partnerships will ensure they are ready to compete for the jobs of tomorrow.”
Federal student loan rates will double on July 1 unless Congress strikes a deal to extend the lower rates.
Students enjoying a temporary reprieve in federal student loan rates know that the deal comes the an end July 1 — unless Congress can reach an agreement to extend the lower rates.
The Miami Herald has a nice rundown on who will see their rates jump to 6.8 percent from 3.4 percent and who won’t. The story also lays out the political challenges facing any Congressional deal.
The potential rate increase comes as students and families are increasingly finding college unaffordable, and the financial hits are coming from all directions: federal Pell grants can no longer be used for summer classes; state financial aid programs such as Florida’s Bright Futures scholarships have been scaled back; double-digit tuition increases have become the norm.
But not all undergraduates would be affected by the rate increase. Subsidized Stafford loans are awarded only to low-to-moderate income students, while unsubsidized loans (which anyone is eligible for) are already set at 6.8 percent, and so would not be affected by the July 1 deadline.
Anyone who took out a loan before July 1 — whether you’re still in school or have graduated — would also be unaffected, as student loan rates are fixed at the time you borrow.
Over three days, the board will hear presentations about each public university’s work plan for the next three years — including their tuition requests.
The board will review applicants for openings on boards of trustees at Florida A&M University (1), New College of Florida (1), and the newly created Florida Polytechnic University (5).
Gov. Rick Scott will address the panel during an informal lunch on Tuesday in an ongoing effort to keep the peace between the Governor’s Office and the board. Continue Reading →
The vote is the strongest opposition yet to the FCAT and Florida’s accountability system to assure teachers, schools and districts are educating students.
Some Florida school board members are upset at comments by education commissioner Gerard Robinson. The Florida School Boards Association approved a resolution opposing the current use of FCAT Thursday.
Florida school board members say education commissioner Gerard Robinson issued a threat to local control during a lunchtime speech Thursday at the state association meeting in Tampa.
Robinson told the Florida School Boards Association members they were free to oppose the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, but they were not free to ignore state law or Florida Board of Education decisions.
The group later approved a resolution opposing the current use of the FCAT to asses student, teacher, school and district performance.
Robinson made a similar statement in an earlier interview with StateImpact Florida.
“They can express their opinion,” he said. “But let’s also remember the local school board’s obligation is to implement the laws approved by the Florida Legislature; to implement the regulations approved by the state board.”
Florida education commission Gerard Robinson says a Florida School Boards Association proposal objecting to the current use of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test does a disservice to students and ignores a decade of state school improvement.
Robinson spoke to state superintendents and school board members gathered at a Tampa meeting Thursday. A Florida School Boards Association committee approved a resolution opposing the current use of the FCAT Wednesday, and the full organization could follow suit this afternoon.
Robinson said FCAT opposition ignores the reality of the workforce.
“What they’re focusing on is high-stakes testing, which is a political way of saying that ‘We just don’t like testing,'” Robinson said. “Let’s be real clear: Many of the teachers who are in our classrooms have to take tests in order to be a classroom teacher; many of our students are going to become CPAs or lawyers and they have to take exams.
Florida will have fewer kids enrolled in traditional public schools in the coming years. That’s the consensus of the Education Enrollment Conference. The panel of state economists and legislative staffers is compiling projections for public schools over the next decade.
The reason for the enrollment forecast is money. The panel recommends school district renovation and construction budgets to the Legislature based on the enrollment projection.
After crunching the numbers, they don’t see a need for any new schools within the next five years. The student population is expected to slowly decrease starting this fall, so it looks as though schools will have sufficient classroom space.
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