Education

Documents Show K12 Struggling With Teacher Quality

Trevor Aaronson and John O'Connor — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:54:37 +0000

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 the state Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General found that the publicly traded company employed at least three teach

Jeb Bush Is Sticking To His Guns On Parent Trigger Bill

Gina Jordan — Thu, 02 May 2013 22:48:01 +0000

The Foundation for Florida’s Future isn’t giving up on the parent trigger bill.

Teachers May Receive Raises Sooner Than June 2014

Gina Jordan — Wed, 01 May 2013 19:40:28 +0000

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 technical fix should get teachers their raises before next year.

“We need to give the school districts a little more flexibility to spend that money so

A Cancer Patient’s Quest For Purpose And The Pacific Ocean

Angeline Evans — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:45:00 +0000

David Menasche is a light packer. Four days of clothes, basic toiletries, a voice recorder, a laptop and a cell phone are all he needs. Oh, and his red-tipped cane, to help him navigate now that he is almost completely blind.

His quest is heavy on purpose and light on itinerary. His goal: to see the Pacific Ocean before his vision is completely lost, and to visit as many of his former students as possible along the way.

Lawmakers, Gov. Scott Compromise On Teacher Raises

Gina Jordan — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:43:12 +0000

Lawmakers and Gov.

Desegregation Pioneer Recalls School Integration In Miami

Gala Brown Munnings — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:27:00 +0000

I was born in Nashville and spent the first four years of my life in Tuskegee, Ala.

My father, Dr. John O. Brown Sr., moved to Miami in 1955 to begin his practice in ophthalmology. To this day, I'm glad he did.

We had neighbors who were white and black. Our next-door neighbor was an older white lady who inspired my mother's love for growing orchids and my brother's passion for collecting butterflies.

New Yorkers Sound Off On New Common Core Tests

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 02:52:43 +0000

A professor at Teacher’s College, Columbia University has set up a website to allow New York students, parents and educators to post comments about the new state English language arts test.

The tests are now tied to Common Core education standards adopted by 45 states — including Florida.

Florida Investigates Teacher Certification At Online Giant K12

John O'Connor and Trevor Aaronson — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:33:46 +0000

An inquiry by the Florida Department of Education’s Inspector General found that online educator K12 Inc. employed three teachers in Florida who lacked proper certification to teach some subjects, according to a draft report.

Virginia-based K12 is the nation’s largest operator of online schools.

How Florida High School Graduation Requirements Will Change

John O'Connor — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:29:23 +0000

Gov. Rick Scott is scheduled to sign an education bill which changes high school graduation requirements, expands career education options and creates new elementary and middle school computer training programs.

The most significant change is to high school graduation requirements.

Retired Teacher Says Armed Educators Will Keep Children Safe

Evelyn Stahl — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:36:00 +0000

When a mentally ill person entered a Connecticut school and slaughtered children and teachers, it was the last straw for some people. In this ultra liberal, politically correct climate in which we find ourselves today, the immediate outcry was to ban this and ban that. The very thought that teachers should not have the right to defend themselves and their pupils is laughable.

Student Eco Film Comes Full Circle Via Miami Nature Center

Andrea Richard — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:30:31 +0000

“When you contaminate the water, you contaminate yourself,” explains science teacher Bertha Vazquez to her students at Miami’s George Washington Carver Middle School. “You’re part of an ecosystem.”

Since 1991, Vazquez has taught students what they can do to save the planet through an integrated curriculum that weaves together science, human behavior and facts about climate change.

Q&A: Teacher's Union Chief Questions Pace Of Transition To New Standards

Gina Jordan — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:02:47 +0000

Florida is working toward full implementation of Common Core State Standards by the 2014-15 school year.

The standards set benchmarks for each grade level.

New Lawsuit Claims Florida Teacher Evaluations Are Unconstitutional

Gina Jordan — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 20:21:48 +0000

The Florida Education Association and National Education Association filed a federal lawsuit today challenging the constitutionality of Florida’s teacher evaluation system.

The system was created under a law passed in 2011 known as Senate Bill 736.

State law requires school districts base at least 40 percent of a teacher’s evaluation on student Education was a hot topic at the WLRN-Miami Herald Town Hall meeting in February.

Only a small portion of the questions that came in were asked during the panel discussion. But we're working to get as many answered as possible.

Florida Board Of Education To Meet; Common Core, Teacher Pay Top Agenda

John O'Connor and John O"Connor — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 21:06:24 +0000

Will Florida need a ‘Plan B’ test for new standards set to hit state schools in 2014?

Teacher Resignation Letter Becomes A Rallying Cry For Critics Of Common Core

Sammy Mack — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:04:35 +0000

As the spring semester winds down around the country, one teacher, Gerald Conti, is not going quietly.

Conti is retiring from Westhill High School in Syracuse, NY at the end of this school year and his resignation letter has become a manifesto for critics of the Common Core.

In his letter — which he posted in full on Facebook — Conti laments that the push towards standardized testing and the

Website Tracks School Progress On Implementing New Education Standards

Gina Jordan — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 20:28:44 +0000

The State Board of Education will get an update next week on Florida’s next education standards, the Common Core State Standards.

The meeting will include information about the technology needed to implement the new assessments that are scheduled to begin in early 2015.

Florida is among a group of states developing the PARCC assessments, or Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and

Plans For Implementing Common Core Standards In Florida Coming Next Week

Gina Jordan — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:10:05 +0000

Education Commissioner Tony Bennett says he will have more information next week about plans for implementing new education standards known as Common Core.

The State Board of Education is meeting next week.

“We have rolled out a very aggressive implementation plan,” Bennett said.

Patricia Levesque Is A Powerful Force Behind School Choice In Florida

Gina Jordan — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Patricia Levesque runs two foundations created by former Florida Gov.

Parents Seek To Unite Florida's Education Activists

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 13:54:58 +0000

A loose-knit network of education activists generally opposed to the direction Florida has been taking its schools recently is attempting to organize into a more potent political force.

The groups include parents, people who want more state funding for schools, and others who are fed up with the brand of testing-based school accountability that Florida has become famous for.

New Scholarship Standards Seen Disqualifying Majority Of Black, Hispanic Students

John O'Connor — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:35:05 +0000

More than half of Florida’s Hispanic and black students at state universities currently eligible for the state’s Bright Futures college scholarship would no longer qualify when new standards take effect on July 1, according to a University of South Florida analysis obtained by the Florida College Access Network.

By comparison, about 40 percent of white and Asian students at state universities would no longer be eligible for the scholarship.

The minimum SAT and ACT scores required to eligible for the merit-based scholarships is increasing.

New Education Standards Turn Librarians Into Digital Media Specialists

John O'Connor — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 18:33:14 +0000

Sara LaBarbera is teaching 6^th graders at Walker Middle School near Tampa how to research poets using an online library.

One student, working on a series of questions about a Lewis Carroll poem, asks LaBarbera for help.

Business Group Says Health Care Expansion Threatens Education Funding

John O'Connor — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:16:29 +0000

A business advocacy group is running television ads that say Florida might have to cut education funding if the state expands Medicaid health coverage.

The National Federation of Independent Business has also set up a website — FloridaCanDoBetter.com.

“Washington promises to pay the billions in new costs. But with these endless federal deficits can we really trust them?” The ad states.

Parent Trigger Supporters Try To Debunk 'Misconceptions' About The Bill

Gina Jordan — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 20:41:20 +0000

Supporters of the parent trigger bill held a briefing with reporters today near the Capitol.

The briefing was hosted by Patricia Levesque, executive director of the Foundation for Florida’s Future. The foundation was created by former Gov. Jeb Bush.

The group is staunchly behind proposed legislation titled Parent Empowerment in Education (SB862/HB867).

Like Father, Like Daughter: School Board Member on Education Priorities

Phil Latzman — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000

It's all in the family.

Referendum Would Give Miami Dade College A Half-Cent Tax

Theo Karantsalis — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:01:29 +0000

Lonnie Robinson fell on hard times in the early 80s with drugs and alcohol. Addiction kept him out of college for decades, and he found himself living under a bridge. During the day, Robinson found solace at a Miami Dade College library in Liberty City, where a reading program changed the future course of his life. He graduated from the college in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.

From Alien to Citizen

Ruth Morris — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:20:02 +0000

Immigration officials say there is an often an increase in the number of people applying for U.S. citizenship before a presidential election.

How Florida's Senate President Would Change Teacher Evaluations

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:41:47 +0000

Florida’s Senate President says the state’s teacher evaluation system is confusing and should be reworked so teacher ratings more closely match those of the schools they work in.

Senate President Don Gaetz, a former school board member and elected superintendent, says schools should no longer evaluate some teachers based on test scores of students they haven’t taught.

Florida Students Will Spend At Least Eight Hours A Year Taking New Standardized Test

editor — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 12:11:05 +0000

Third grade students will spend at least eight hours a year taking Florida’s next standardized test, with high school juniors will spend nearly 10 hours to complete the new online standardized test.

A Florida 8th grader — taking the FCAT reading, math, science and writing tests — will spend 8 and 20 minutes on testing this year.

Florida Not Among States Expected To Teach Students About Climate Change

Tricia Woolfenden — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:02:54 +0000

More than two dozen states are expected to adopt new national science education standards that include teaching children as young as elementary school about the effects of climate change. Florida was not among the 26 states that helped to "provide leadership" during the development stage of the Next Generation Science Standards, and it is unclear if it is among the roughly 15 states "that have indicated they may accept them," according to Inside Climate News.