Editor’s note: Names of teachers and students have been changed. Professionals should be responsible for their job performance and should be evaluated and retained accordingly. Who doesn’t agree with that? My problem isn’t with accountability or evaluating teachers.  My problem is with the schemes I’ve encountered so far in my career that have been designed […]

“I say common, you say core! Common!” “Core.” “Common!” “Core.” Teachers working in small groups were corralled to attention by their K-2 math leader. It’s the first day the Florida Department of Education’s 2013 Common Core State Standards Summer Institutes. This two-day session – the first of seven offered around the state – began Tuesday […]

The State Board of Education has asked that a panel of school superintendents and other education officials to review the state’s school grading system and potentially recommend changes. Superintendents from Hillsborough and Miami-Dade schools said that they are concerned changes to the school grading system will mean a dramatic drop in school grades. The board […]

Florida teachers will no longer be evaluated – and have their pay based on – the performance of students they don’t teach. Gov. Rick Scott has signed a bill passed by the Florida Legislature that should allay some of their concerns. The law, SB 1664, says teachers must be judged only on the performance of […]

Florida students had some of the nation’s largest gains between 2003 and 2011 on a key national standardized test, according to a new analysis by Education Sector, a nonpartisan policy research group. The analysis tracked fourth and eighth grade math and reading scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, considered the model test for […]

A new report finds Florida’s public university system is a good model in affordability for the rest of the country. Florida Rising: An Assessment of Public Universities in the Sunshine State analyzed cost, administrative and academic spending, curriculum, and graduation rates at Florida’s 11 universities. (Florida Polytechnic University – the 12th in the system – […]

Advocates for new science standards are urging Florida residents to voice their support. The concept for the science standards is separate, but similar to that of the math and English language arts standards which comprise the Common Core. Florida, 44 other states and the District of Columbia have fully adopted the Common Core standards. The […]

Sarasota County school could not have renovated 50 classrooms and stuffed them with high-tech learning tools without the help of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation. The foundation saw a need to improve science, technology, math and engineering education, or STEM, in Sarasota and Charlotte counties, says Chris Pfahler, who manages the foundation’s STEMsmart program. So […]

A lot of teachers must be wondering exactly how the state plans to dole out $480 million in newly approved educator raises. The governor’s office has created a list of frequently asked questions about the salary increases. The answers make it clear that the districts must negotiate the pay hikes with the local teachers union […]

The algebra problem asked the Sarasota County middle school students to figure out how much Sheldon, Amy and Howard – characters on the television show “The Big Bang Theory” – spent on tickets and popcorn while seeing “The Lord of The Rings.” The students talked through their work in small groups around the room. A […]