Washington Post education blogger Valerie Strauss looks at the legacy of former Washington D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee and concludes that Rhee left something behind in a rush to overhaul that city’s schools. While Rhee was pushing a controversial teacher evaluation system that led to hundreds of firing, Strauss writes, she did not address fundamental […]
Seminole County school board chairwoman Dede Schaffner admits it — her county is tough on people wanting to open new charter schools. But Schaffner said the district isn’t asking anything more than the state asks of Seminole County. Last month the school district rejected three applications for new charter schools. In one case, district officials […]
If a cancer-stricken colleague has burned all of his or her sick leave, would you want to donate yours to help them out? A Florida lawmakers has introduced a bill allowing just that. Stuart Republican Rep. Gayle Harrell told TCPalm.com that the bill was inspired by Karen Gangi, a Martin County elementary teacher who used […]
This story is a collaborative investigation between The Miami Herald and StateImpact Florida. Read the Herald’s story. People who want to start up their own charter school must go through a rigorous application process. But after that initial hurdle, the school founders get a lot of freedom over how to run their publicly-funded schools and who to hire. […]
State economists are counting the contents of Florida’s piggy bank this morning to see how much money the state will have for its budget beginning July 1. Earlier this year it looked like Florida might have a very small surplus. Estimates last week suggested the state economy has slowed and lawmakers could now face a […]
If Michele Gill learned anything from helping open a Seminole County charter school this fall it’s this: Charter schools cannot do anything they want. Despite some public perceptions, Gill said opening Galileo School for Gifted Learning has meant navigating a complicated network of state and federal regulations. Then school leaders have to make sure the […]
Charter schools are an idea dreamed up by an obscure education professor in the 1970s which have grown into a primary alternative to traditional public schools. One in 17 Florida students attended a charter school last year, a number that has increased almost six-fold in a decade. But where did charter schools come from? Like […]
For 15 years Florida has conducted an experiment in public education. The goal was to improve the entire education system by granting charter schools more leeway to innovate. Welcome to StateImpact Florida’s Charter Schools 101 series examining the effect those schools have had on students, teachers, parents and communities — and what comes next. One […]
Gov. Rick Scott wants to cap school district administrative expenses, according to a draft legislative priorities list obtained by the Orlando Sentinel. Scott also wants to grant parents the ability to use state dollars to pay for private school tuition, books or other education expenses, according to the Sentinel story. Scott would rely on allies […]
Is it possible to evaluate a college professor the same way NFL scouts measure the speed, strength and quickness of college athletes? Florida Gov. Rick Scott wants to have that debate. He’s looking to a controversial Texas proposal as a guide. The Texas model has sparked a Lone Star backlash from schools concerned the plan […]
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