UPDATE: We’ve added Senate President Don Gaetz’ response at the end. Florida TaxWatch has released its annual list of “turkeys” found in the proposed state budget. TaxWatch bills itself as an “independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit public policy research institute and government watchdog.” The group targets 107 items for veto, including some education-related projects. Gov. Rick Scott […]

The Florida Education Association’s lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state’s test-based teacher evaluations — if successful — could become a model for teacher’s union across the country, Governing magazine reports. And over at the Quick and the Ed, labor attorney Danny Rosenthal argues the FEA normally would have a difficult time proving the government […]

Some Florida college presidents are better compensated than their peers at Florida’s 12 state universities. But so far, only the colleges have the attention of Gov. Rick Scott. The Governor’s Office issued a report yesterday showing the wide range of salaries among Florida college presidents. Scott requested the review last October after Florida State College in […]

The Florida Center for Investigative Reporting and StateImpact Florida have obtained internal emails and a recording of a company meeting that provide new insight into allegations that K12 Inc., the nation’s largest online education company, uses teachers in Florida who do not have all of the required state certifications. Last month, a draft report by […]

Education Commissioner Tony Bennett is a lightning rod for criticism — and he knows it. He had his share of critics in Indiana, where he lost his reelection as state superintendent last November. “We couldn’t overcome the rhetoric of the teachers unions and the undercurrent that they generated,” Bennett told The Huffington Post a day after […]

Governor Rick Scott signed a broad-ranging education bill this session that—among many changes—establishes an entirely online bachelor’s degree program through the University of Florida. UF already has experience offering online courses and degree programs that allow students to finish the last two years of a bachelor’s degree online. But this is the first time a […]

Teachers might not have to wait another year for a raise after all. Leaders in the Florida Legislature are working on a fix to the education budget that provides $480 million in raises for teachers and other school personnel. But according to the budget, that money won’t be in paychecks until June 2014. Lawmakers say a […]

Knock it off. That’s the tone in a series of exasperated editorials aimed at critics of new education standards known as Common Core. Florida has been leading the consortium of 45 states who are developing Common Core standards for education. In the past few weeks, objections to the new national benchmarks—and the new standardized tests […]

Most states are moving toward Common Core State Standards – a new way of teaching that dives deeper into fewer topics. That means new assessments are on the way. Florida is phasing out most of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. The new PARCC assessments are scheduled to be in place for the 2014-15 school year. […]

A new study says error rates for teacher evaluations based on student test scores is “quite high,” but that the evaluations may still be more accurate than traditional measures. The study, by Dan Goldhaber of the University of Washington-Bothell and Susanna Loeb, of Stanford University, might be cited as evidence as Florida’s largest teacher’s union challenges […]