Tagged: education

09/25/12 - Tuesday's Topical Currents is with Steve and Annette Economides, known as America’s Cheapest Family. They’ve made saving money—and still living well—an art form. They plan carefully and only grocery shop once a month. How about feeding seven on $350 dollars a month? The Cheapest Family doesn’t give allowances—the kids earn their way and learn the value of a buck by buying their own clothes.  The book is The Money Smart Family System: Teaching Financial Independence To Children Of Every Age. 

Many school districts say math and science teachers are among the most difficult positions to fill.

But in Orlando schools, custodians are the highest in demand.

This summer, the Orange County school district asked principals which positions they needed help filling.

The top answer across the district? School Custodians.

Last year, Luis Gonzalez failed freshman English, Algebra and Physical Science. When he starts school later this month, he’ll still be considered a freshman.

His school has a different name for it.

“They call it a ‘fresh-more,’” he said. “By years I’m a sophomore. But I’m going to have freshman classes.”

Gonzalez thought he could make up the classes during summer school.

But summer school wasn’t an option for the Pasco County student.

Juan Galvez is going into 4th grade. His parents are from Bolivia and Guatemala, and they only speak Spanish.

When it comes to homework, Juan is usually on his own.

“My mom helps me a little because she knows the math,” says Juan. “But with reading, I’m good. I do it by myself.”

There is a place on school campuses for students who break the rules.

In some Florida schools, it’s called SCSI.

Marcus Pryor, a junior at Miami Northwestern Senior High, thinks it stands for School Criminal Scene Investigation.

SCSI actually stands for School Center for Special Instruction. And in Miami, it’s where students go when they get an in-school suspension.

It’s an alternative to out-of-school suspension Florida schools can use for offenses considered minor, like consistent tardiness, wearing baggy clothing or cutting class.

Danna Contreras doesn’t like the new FCAT.

The sophomore at Booker T. Washington High School in Miami emigrated from Colombia three years ago.

She wears thick, pink-rimmed glasses and she squints a lot. She says the new computerized version is harder to take.

“I think I am better with paper, not on the computer because sometimes my eyes hurt,” she said.

That’s not the only reason she’s worried about her reading score.

“I have difficulty speaking English and the vocabulary is really hard,” she said.

It’s been nearly a month since self-appointed neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teen in Sanford, Fla.

Martin’s death has inspired a national debate about race and justice.

But at the high school Martin attended in Miami, his death had not been announced publicly until today, when the school held a moment of silence for the slain student.

Ashley Aristide is a junior at Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High in Miami, where Martin went to school.

She’s having a hard time coping with her friend’s death.

Spanking in school may seem like a relic of the past, but every day hundreds of students — from preschoolers to high school seniors — are still being paddled by teachers and principals.

In parts of America, getting spanked at school with a wooden or fiberglass board is just part of being a misbehaving student.

"I been getting them since about first grade," says Lucas Mixon, now a junior at Holmes County High School in Bonifay, Fla. "It's just regular. They tell you to put your hands up on the desk and how many swats you're going to get."

Earlier this month, an investigation by StateImpact Florida and the Miami Herald revealed that most Florida charter schools are not enrolling students with severe disabilities, like autism or cerebral palsy.

This month, an investigation by StateImpact Florida revealed that more than 86% of Florida charter schools don’t serve a single student with a severe disability, compared to half of traditional public schools.

State education officials say no school is required to take every student with every disability. But lawyers are divided on whether charter schools can legally turn kids away.

No one person decides where a student with disabilities can go to school.