The projected path of Tropical Storm Isaac, according to the 11 a.m. advisory from the National Weather Service.
School in the Florida Keys will be closed on Monday due to the predicted weather conditions associated with Tropical Storm Isaac.
All Monroe County schools, offices and facilities will be closed, and school campuses have already been identified as shelter locations.
The Monroe County Emergency Management has identified Key West High School, Switlik School and Coral Shores High School as shelters.
Update on 8/25/12 at 3:42pm ET:
A fourth Keys storm shelter opened Saturday at Sugarloaf School.
The complete list of shelters is:
Key West High School, 2100 Flagler Ave
Sugarloaf School, Mile Marker 19 on Sugarloaf Key
Stanley Switlik, Mile Marker 48 in Marathon
Coral Shores High School, Mile Marker 90 in Islamorada
Those who go to any of the shelters must bring their own supplies, including bedding, food and medicine.
Florida International University and the University of Miami are closing at 7 p.m. Saturday through Monday.
Miami Dade College classes are closing Sunday through Monday.
Florida National University will be closed on Monday.
Update on 8/26/2012 at 4:24 pm ET
Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gulf Coast University and Edison State College will be closed on Monday.
Pasco, Hernando, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Lee and Collier County schools will also be closed on Monday.
Our original post published Friday:
The district says it will continue to monitor the storm and update its website.
Tropical Storm Isaac is expected to turn into a hurricane and could affect other parts of the state. But so far, school districts between Miami and Tallahassee have not decided whether schools would be open Monday.
First year teacher John Price was hired two weeks before the start of the school year. He's has just over a week to plan his curriculum for the year for his debate and English classes.
First year teachers in Florida are wrapping up their first week in a classroom.
StateImpact Florida caught up with one to find out what the process is like to get new teachers in the door, and prepared for the opening day.
John Price is a first year teacher in Broward County — the nation’s sixth largest school district.
He’s the new English and debate teacher at JP Taravella High School.
But he only landed the job two weeks before the start of the school year, after the County held a last minute teacher job fair. Continue Reading →
Hillsborough County schools are warning parents now: There will be traffic the week of the RNC.
The Republican National Convention is expected to take over large parts of Tampa starting Monday—and immense traffic and congestion will likely flood some streets in the city.
But the Hillsborough County School District has a plan to help students to school on time.
Schools between the Davis Islands and Harbor Island area would be affected by RNC traffic, as well as Gorrie Elementary, Wilson Middle and Plant High schools.
District officials are telling Davis Islands and Harbor Island parents to put their kids on school buses, instead of weathering some tough traffic in their cars.
Superintendent Mary Ellen Elia told media outlets she wants parents in those areas to prepare to rely on school buses—who would be taking special routes, The Tampa Tribunereported. Continue Reading →
A new report projects just 18 percent of the 2012 high school graduates in Florida who took the ACT test would do well in first year college courses.
Florida students aren’t as prepared for college as students in other states.
That’s according to this year’s Condition of College and Career Readiness report released Wednesday.
It looks at ACT test scores to project how well high school grads would do in first year college courses.
About 70 percent of Florida’s graduating class took the ACT test — 118,420 students total — but only 18 percent of those test-takers are considered college-ready.
The national average of college-ready students is 25 percent.
Florida’s average score was among the lowest of all states — only Arizona, Mississippi and Tennessee did worse.
Here are the percentages of college-ready students by subject area test.
An early literacy initiative called “ReadingPals” will have three years to flourish in Florida thanks to a $3-million grant.
Local chapters of the United Way of Florida will use the money to train and deploy volunteer “ReadingPals.”
The program is designed to increase the number of students reading at grade level by the end of third grade.
“The early years, when 90 percent of brain growth occurs, are crucial to growing children,” said David Lawrence, Jr., chair of The Children’s Movement of Florida. “Learning to read by third grade is crucial, and reading to learn must become the standard by no later than fourth grade.”
Bottom line: More students are getting the money, but the awards aren’t going as far as they used to in covering the cost of college or university tuition.
Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) award, including Academic Top Scholars (ATS) award Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS) award Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars (GSV) award
The screening of “Won’t Back Down” is sponsored by StudentsFirst, a national advocacy group which has pushed states — including Florida — to adopt parent trigger laws.
The parent trigger would allow a majority of parents at a chronically failing school to choose how to restructure the school. The options include firing some or all of the staff and principal, converting to a charter school or closing the school.
“Won’t Back Down” star Maggie Gyllenhaal as a parent trying to invoke a parent trigger-like law in Pittsburgh. Holly Hunter and Viola Davis also star in the film, which is scheduled for a September 28th release.
“As a mother, I know that I’d be willing to do whatever it takes to make sure my daughters get a great education,” said StudentsFirst founder Michelle Rhee in a statement. “This movie speaks to the importance of great teachers and sends a touching, powerful and important message that transcends party divisions: every child deserves a great education.” Continue Reading →
Gov. Rick Scott has released a back-to-school message in the form of a Republican Party of Florida-sponsored ad.
In the as Scott says “listening to parents and teachers is still the best education” and is one reason he pushed to increase education funding by $1 billion.
But the second part of the ad is likely to rile some educators.
“I’ve listened to the frustrations parents and teachers have with the FCAT,” he says in the video. “Next year we begin improving our testing system. No more teaching to the test.”
The value of Bright Futures scholarships has gone down in Florida as tuition has jumped, but they’re still a good deal.
Requirements have changed, so let’s take a look at what students need to do to receive a Bright Futures award and keep it each year they’re in college.
Florida is starting the transition to the new Common Core standards and PARCC assessments this year, beginning with kindergarteners and first graders. The transition will take three years.
Common Core and PARCC are part of a national effort among states to standardized U.S. curriculum and assessments in order to make more accurate comparisons of state school performance. The new assessments will also allow the comparison of U.S. students to international students.
The new tests are intended to eliminate the concept of “teaching to the test” because the curriculum emphasizes problem solving and analytical thinking and not memorization of facts or lists.
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