Most of the students at Royal Palm Elementary in Miami have Spanish-speaking families. But those families also want their kids to speak – and read and write – more Spanish in school. So teacher Alexandra Martin is leading her 1st grade class through “Vamos Papa,” with each child reading a passage from the Spanish language […]
Jessica Gaspar was born in the U.S. and grew up speaking English at school — but at home, she speaks Q’anjob’al. That’s the Mayan language spoken by her Guatemalan parents. She said she and her brother struggled to practice their English once the school day ended. It’s why Gaspar volunteers at a community center on a […]
Fifty years ago Bob Moses organized volunteers to register voters in Mississippi during the Freedom Summer. And for decades, Moses has been fighting for civil rights as an educator. He’s won a MacArthur Genius Grant to develop a new way to teach algebra in largely low-income and minority schools. The Algebra Project shows students how […]
Gov. Rick Scott said he will support a Senate bill granting in-state tuition to some undocumented immigrants because the bill also would prevent universities from raising tuition above what lawmakers approve, according to the Associated Press. Lawmakers have considered in-state tuition the past several years, but the bill has never made it through both the […]
Former Washington Post owner Donald Graham and Miami education activist Gaby Pacheco sat down with NPR to talk about a new scholarship program for undocumented immigrants. Allowing undocumented students access to in-state tuition rates will be a big issue in the legislative session set to begin tomorrow. A court has ruled Florida can not force […]
The federal government is pushing states to consider adopting a common definition for which students qualify as English language learners, Stateline reports. The decision is important because it could affect federal funding for those students. The common definition could also determine which students receive accommodations on standardized tests, such as more time, use of a […]
Education took up a big chunk of the Fort Lauderdale town hall Monday hosted by WLRN and The Miami Herald. Topics ranged from college affordability to K-12 funding to teacher raises. Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Chief Mary Ellen Klas ran through some ideas lawmakers are considering. “Gov. Scott has proposed an initiative that would give […]
The State Board of Education will not appeal a court ruling regarding in-state tuition for students whose parents are undocumented. Students previously had to prove their parents were in the country legally in order to qualify for Florida residency status. Five students sued the state, and a judge struck down the rule in October. Without […]
The Florida Board of Education will meet in a closed session this evening in Orlando. They’ll talk about what to do now that a judge has ruled against Florida’s practice of charging out-of-state tuition to students who were born in America but whose parents are undocumented. Unlike other states, Florida colleges and universities consider the […]
More than 140,000 Florida undocumented students can now apply for a temporary work visa and a stay from deportation. Both are part of a new federal initiative which makes its easier for young immigrants to remain in the United States legally. President Barack Obama ordered the change a year and a half after the failure […]
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