Republican presidential candidates at last week's debate in California. CNN and the Tea Party Express host a debate in Tampa tonight.
If you had to guess, how many of 2012 Republican presidential candidates appearing at this evening’s Tampa debate list education as an issue on their campaign web sites?
Just one: Radio host and former pizza executive Herman Cain.
If past performance is any guide, don’t expect education to be a major issue in this evening’s CNN/Tea Party Express debate. (Particularly with so much recent focus on Social Security).
Textbooks at South Broward High School in Hollywood, Fla. are stacked on the ground, instead of on bookshelves, in order to save money. Broward County school’s $141 million budget deficit is the largest in the state. South Broward High lost six teachers this summer, while other schools, like Cypress Bay High in Weston, Fla. lost up to 40 teachers this summer alone.
The Broward County Public School District instituted a new barcode system to keep better track of textbooks and make sure students return them after the school year. South Borward High’s textbook coordinator estimates the new system has saved the school up to $50,000 in unreturned textbooks.
The video production equipment in the MTV classroom at South Broward High was replaced by stacks and stacks of textbooks after the video production program was cut last school year because of shrinking budgets. Some of the equipment, like the stage lights, were left behind.
Debra Hixon has taught at South Broward High for the past 17 years as a marine science teacher. But before and after school, and during the lunch period, Hixon also works as the school textbook coordinator in order to earn extra income. Broward County teachers are the lowest paid teachers in the state.
A marine science class at South Broward High. Kevius Morgan, center, and Taylor Drake, right.
Taylor Drake, Kevius Morgan and Cristinne Paneit, seniors at South Broward High, say some teachers give them extra credit for bringing in items like markers, rulers, paper and tissues. All three say their final grades increased by a full letter in at least one class. “A lot of teachers do it,” Drake said, whose C grade increased to a B after she brought in classroom materials. “If they see that you’re trying and you’re still struggling and you bring in those items, it will boost you a lot.” Paneit says “its like a raise” for working hard in class.
Kayla Kervin and Elinor Taieb are seniors at Cypress Bay High School in Weston, Fla. where 40 teachers were cut this school year. Taieb says, “some teachers actually request if you can bring some paper in for them because they are limited,” but she says students don’t get any credit for it.
Every school district in Florida is dealing with layoffs and budget cuts. But Broward County in South Florida is facing the largest budget deficit in the state—more than $140 million. And its forced teachers and students in the nation’s 6th largest school district to get creative about spending money.
Students at South Broward High in Hollywood waited in the rain during the first week of school to get inside what used to be the video production classroom. Only, the video production program was cut last school year.
President Barack Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan talk about "Race to the Top" during a stop at a Virginia elementary school last year.
Lawmakers gave a delayed go-ahead this week to compete in the latest round of federal Race to the Top education grants — this time for early childhood education projects. Here’s what to know about the latest version of the federal program to spur education innovation.
1. Another Race to the Top grant?
The federal education department announced in May they would award a $500 million pot of grants to improve education programs for children who have yet to enter kindergarten.The agency is specifically seeking programs which target children in low-income families.
Federal officials believe research proves children who enter school better prepared will be more likely to graduate high school and college. The program also emphasizes workforce development and the ability to measure progress.
Broward County parents need to arrange child care the week of Thanksgiving because schools will be closed.
Got plans for Thanksgiving? If you live in Broward County you might need to reschedule.
Broward County will close schools and furlough teachers on Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week in addition to the traditional Wednesday through Friday holiday.
Parents told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that they will have to scramble to arrange child care. Some cities said they were working on day camps that week.
The Texas Observer story also notes that Pearson products have spread their way throughout the education ecosystem, from science course materials to remedial programs for students who fail to score well on Pearson’s standardized tests.
Pearson, according to the Observer story, is just one high-profile beneficiary of the privatization of public schooling. The story pins blame on the federal No Child Left Behind law, which mandated standardized testing to measure student performance.
The upside, supporters say, is that testing is still the best way for parents to gauge their child’s progress and the quality of their schools.
Teachers rally against proposed budget cuts in March
Seminole County could turn classroom thermostats all the way up and athletes may have to pay to wear their school’s uniform.
The wife of a Polk County Tea Party congressman led a failed effort to raise money for college counselors whose positions were eliminated.
Many students can no longer walk to catch the bus after districts merged stops.
School districts have been forced to make painful budget choices as state property values decline and the economy continues to sputter. More than $2.1 billion has been cut from state education spending since 2008, according to the state education department.
This year, districts are facing an 8 percent cut, or $542 per student.
Florida students’ math skills rank just below Latvia and slightly better than Lithuania, according to a new state-by-state comparison of international math and reading tests.
The U.S. ranks 17th in the world on the Program for International Student Assessment tests, according to the analysis by Harvard University’s Program on Educational Policy and Governance.
Florida students scored below U.S. averages on both math and reading tests. Florida ranked 36th among the U.S. states on math, with 27.4 percent of students proficient. In reading 28 percent of students were proficient, ranking 31st among U.S. states.
The U.S. economy could grow more quickly if U.S. students scored as high as some of their foreign counterparts, the Harvard researchers concluded.
How much has the average teacher's salary changed since the 2007-08 school year? We've visualized the changes in an interactive map. Continue reading →
Education bills await lawmakers' January return to Tallahassee.
Education-related bill are stacking up in Tallahassee, four months before lawmakers return for the 2012 session.
Yesterday we wrote about Sen. Joe Negron’s bill that would allow voters to once again choose the state education commissioner. Here are other topics that will be on the calendar come January.
School Funding
At the top of the House heap is HB 1, sponsored by Rep. Michael Weinstein, R-Jacksonville, which requires state analysts to determine how much Florida should spend on education and report back to the legislature.
A similar bill in the Senate, SB 142 sponsored by Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, would earmark $100,000 to hire an outside company to study and report back on state education funding.
Voters would once again choose Florida’s top education official if a bill proposed by a state senator becomes law.
Stuart Republican Sen. Joe Negron introduced the constitutional amendment to elect the Commissioner of Education Monday.
The commissioner has been appointed since voters amended the state constitution in 1998. Negron’s bill would also dissolve the state Board of Education.
“I think its time to restore public education to its proper place of stature along with agriculture, finance and our legal system which are the other Cabinet positions,” Negron told The Florida Current. “The current education system is confusing and ambiguous. I think it’s an unworkable structure and results in a diminution of focus on education in Florida.”
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