Sarah Gonzalez

Trayvon Martin’s High School Acknowledges His Death (Updated)

Sarah Gonzalez — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 19:06:01 +0000

Post and audio were updated yesterday. Details at State Impact.

It’s been almost a month since self-appointed neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin—an unarmed black teenager from Miami Gardens.

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

Live Chat On Florida Education: What Will Happen In Session 2013?

Sarah Gonzalez — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:00:00 +0000

February 19 At 4pm

StateImpact Florida and WLRN are holding an online education chat in advance of our WLRN-Miami Herald News Town Hall, where you'll get the chance to ask lawmakers about their education priorities this legislative session.

Fla. Education Commissioner Tony Bennett: I Lost My Last Job For 'Doing The Right Thing'

Sarah Gonzalez — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 12:16:52 +0000

Tony Bennett drove from Indiana over the weekend to start his first day as schools chief in Florida on Monday.

Last month the State Board of Education hired Bennett, a Republican who served as Indiana’s Superintendent of Public Instruction for one term.

He lost his re-election bid there after Democrat Glenda Ritz organized a grassroots campaign with help from the teachers union.

Bennett was viewed by some as being too aggressive towards teachers and not showing enough compassion when he pushed new policies, such as merit pay.

What Do Our Work Coffee Mugs Say About Us At WLRN?

Sarah Gonzalez — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 14:30:00 +0000

Before we start the new year, we want you all to get to know us a little more intimately. Turns out our work coffee mugs say a lot about us!

We've psychoanalyzed each other's coffee mugs to bring you this audio postcard from us, your WLRN reporters, editors, anchors, bloggers, producers and social media gurus. I would say this is one of those posts you actually want to listen to.

Check out our slideshow and tell us which one of us is your work-coffee-mug-soul-mate.

Why More Florida Students Than Ever Struggle With Math

Sarah Gonzalez and McNelly Torres and Lynn Waddell — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 13:26:50 +0000

Wendy Pedroso has never liked math, but for most of elementary school and middle school she got B’s in the subject. It wasn’t until ninth grade at Miami Southwest Senior High School, when Pedroso took algebra, that she hit a wall. In particular, she struggled with understanding fractions.

What’s Causing The Rising Need For Remedial Classes

Sarah Gonzalez and McNelly Torres and Lynn Waddell — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Shakira Lockett was a pretty good student in elementary, middle and high school. The Miami-Dade County native says she typically earned As and Bs in English classes.

The Top 5 Countries Florida's International College Students Come From

Sarah Gonzalez — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:47:46 +0000

Saudi Arabia and South Korea are among the top 5 leading places of origin for international college and university students in Florida.

What A Makeover For Miami-Dade Schools Will Look Like

Sarah Gonzalez and Laura Isensee — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Miami-Dade voters have approved a $1.2 billion bond referendum to improve public school infrastructure and access to technology.

Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho proposed the measure back in August.

Carvalho has said the bond would establish a "technology baseline" for Miami-Dade schools—so that all schools have at least a minimum number of computers, for example.

Frankel Wins Congressional Seat, Pleads: 'Let The Bickering End'

Christine DiMattei and Sarah Gonzalez — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 11:32:07 +0000

Lois Frankel Wins District 22

From the moment Lois Frankel took the podium at the Embassy Suites Hotel in West Palm Beach Tuesday night, she kept it classy

“A few moments ago, I received a very, very gracious call from Adam Hasner congratulating me," Frankel told her supporters. "He was a formidable and articulate challenger.”

Will Amendment 8 Allow Florida To Fund Religious Schools? Not Directly

Sarah Gonzalez — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 16:41:22 +0000

Alachua County school board member Eileen Roy has called a proposed constitutional amendment coming before voters in November “the very death of public schools.”

The state’s largest teacher’s union is running ads against the change and mobilizing teachers to get out and vote against it.

Amendment 8 – dubbed the Religious Freedom Amendment – is likely to be one of the most contested ballot questions this fall.

The big question: Will it take taxpayer dollars away from public schools — to fund private, religious schools?

Breaking Back: Why Florida Schools Are Asking Janitors To Pass A Fitness Test

Sarah Gonzalez — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:29:06 +0000

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.

Why Florida Schools Struggle to Hire Teachers By The Start Of School

Sarah Gonzalez — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:43:25 +0000

Schools have been open for a couple of weeks across much of Florida, but not all of the students know who their teachers are yet.

There’s typically a lot of teacher turnover during the summer break, and schools can’t always get vacant teaching positions filled by the time school starts.

Florida Schools In Session, But Teachers Absent

Sarah Gonzalez — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 07:20:00 +0000

Schools have been open for a couple of weeks across much of Florida, but not all of the students know who their teachers are yet. There's typically a lot of teacher turnover during the summer break, and schools can't always get vacant teaching positions filled by the time school starts.

At DeSoto County High School in southern Florida, math tutor Ronnie Padilla is filling in as the French teacher. There's only one problem: He doesn't speak any French.

Kristin Jacobs Loses Congressional Primary

Sarah Gonzalez — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 01:26:13 +0000

Broward County Commissioner Kristin Jacobs lost last night in the Congressional primary.

She was hoping to become the Democratic nominee for District 22, which covers Broward and Palm Beach counties. The seat was left vacant when Republican Rep. Allen West changed districts.

During her concession speech, Jacobs thanked the crowd of about 50 for believing in her.

No Summer School Means Some Students Repeat a Grade This Fall

Sarah Gonzalez — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 16:35:18 +0000

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.

In-School Suspension: a Better Alternative or Waste of Time?

Sarah Gonzalez — Fri, 04 May 2012 16:37:57 +0000

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.

Inside FCAT 2.0: What Changes Mean for Teachers, Students

Sarah Gonzalez — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:46:17 +0000

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.

How Trayvon Martin’s High School Reacted To His Public Death

Sarah Gonzalez — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:48:58 +0000

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.

Why Florida Schools Want the Right to Paddle Misbehaving Students

Sarah Gonzalez — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:25:07 +0000

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."

School Board Member Says Her Special Needs Daughter Was Forced To Leave A Charter School

Sarah Gonzalez — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:00:07 +0000

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.

Can Charter Schools Legally Turn Away Kids With Severe Disabilities?

Sarah Gonzalez — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0000

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.

No Choice: Florida Charter Schools Failing To Serve Students With Disabilities

Sarah Gonzalez — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0000

Tres Whitlock is stuck in a public school where he feels ignored. He wants out.

The 17-year-old would-be video game designer researched his options online and found his perfect match – Pivot Charter School.

“It’s computer-based and I think I will do better,” he says.

But when Whitlock tried to enroll in the school he found a series of barriers in his way.

Loopholes In Florida Law Mean Little Oversight Of Charter Business Deals

Sarah Gonzalez — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0000

This story is a collaborative investigation between The Miami Herald and StateImpact Florida. Read the Herald’s story.

Explaining Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s War On Anthropology (And Why Anthropologists May Win)

Sarah Gonzalez and John O'Connor — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0000

It’s been a rough week for anthropologists with Gov. Rick Scott singling out the field as an inefficient use of higher education budgets.

Why should taxpayers foot the education bill for an anthropologist who can’t find a job? Scott asked a business group last week. Colleges should “drive” students into science, technology, engineering or math — known as STEM — programs, he said.

Broward Schools Face Largest Budget Deficit In State; Effect On Other Districts Unclear

Sarah Gonzalez — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0000

Every school district in Florida is dealing with layoffs and budget cuts. But Broward County in South Florida is facing the largest budget deficit in the state—more than $140 million. And its forced teachers and students in the nation’s 6th largest school district to get creative about spending money.

Students at South Broward High in Hollywood waited in the rain during the first week of school to get inside what used to be the video production classroom. Only, the video production program was cut last school year.

New Policy Gives Hope To Some Facing Deportation

Sarah Gonzalez — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0000

The Obama administration on Thursday said it would review the deportation cases of 300,000 illegal immigrants. The administration wants to put high priority on removing convicted criminals, and low priority on cases that involve people who pose no security threat.