FAU President Resigns After 'Significant Controversies'

Gina Jordan — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:06:14 +0000

The president of Florida Atlantic University says bad publicity splashed across national headlines was too much.

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

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

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 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 State Budget Would Boost Spending on Education, Teacher Pay

Gina Jordan — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:44:29 +0000

The Florida House has released its proposed budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

Speaker Will Weatherford says education was prioritized over everything else.

“The big winner is education,” Weatherford said.

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).

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.

Three Questions About Sequestration And Federal Budget Cuts For Head Start In Florida

John O'Connor — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:10:16 +0000

March 1 is the deadline for Congress to strike a budget deal or a series of automatic spending cuts totaling $1.2 trillion over a decade takes effect.

The cuts — k

Why South Florida Schools Lose Millions In Funding To Class Size Limit Penalties

editor — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:47:55 +0000

Florida lawmakers are considering a bill which would change the way the state calculates class size limits required by the state constitution.

Lawmakers may allow district schools to use the more flexible rules granted to charter schools.

District schools must calculate the class size of every classroom and count every violation.

Florida Senate President Says Teachers Shouldn't Expect An Even Playing Field

Gina Jordan — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 16:51:46 +0000

Supporters say the charter school bill that has a good chance of passing Florida’s Republican controlled Legislature this year will better regulate charters and expand choices for parents.

One thing the bill won’t do is require the same evaluations for charter school teachers as traditional public school teachers.

Charters schools which do not participate in the federal Race to the Top program do

Florida Legislative Leaders Say This Is The Year For The Parent Trigger Bill

Gina Jordan — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 22:37:09 +0000

The parent trigger bill is back, and House Speaker Will Weatherford thinks it has a good chance of passing this year.

He even tweeted about it shortly after the bill was filed.

“It’s great public policy. It empowers families. It empowers parents, gives them the choices that they need,” Weatherford told StateImpact Florida.

StateImpact Florida: Putting Education Reform To The Test

StateImpact Florida — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 21:18:03 +0000

StateImpact Florida journalists John O'Connor and Sarah Gonzalez travel the state to report on how education issues affect you.

Recent topics on StateImpact Florida include:

Florida Teachers Sue To Toss Performance Pay As An Intrusion On Bargaining Rights

Brandon Larrabee — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 13:10:14 +0000

TALLAHASSEE -- Lawyers for a group of teachers asked a Leon County judge on Wednesday to throw out a nearly two-year-old state law aimed at tying teacher's pay and evaluations more closely to student performance.

Report Says Florida A National Leader In Charter School Growth — Another Says It’s Not Fast Enough

Gina Jordan and John O'Connor — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 19:00:00 +0000

The number of charter schools operating in the United States has surpassed 6,000 for the first time, according to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

Charters are now serving a record 2.3 million students based on estimates from the current school year. But a pro-choice non-profit says Florida school districts are preventing more charters from opening.

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.

Why States Are Designing Two Tests For Common Core Standards

Gina Jordan — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:30:00 +0000

Forty-five states and the District of Columbia are working toward full implementation of Common Core standards.

But there's a split in the way states will measure what students have learned. Two different testing systems are on the table.

One test will average a series of test results to determine a student’s score. The other is a single, adaptive test which tailors questions based on a student’s past answers.

The tests are being designed now for use by 2014-15.

Three Questions For An Elementary Principal About Common Core

Gina Jordan — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 11:38:55 +0000

Florida is in the process of transitioning to common core standards in public schools.

The first full year of implementation is scheduled for 2014-15.

45 states and Washington, D.C. have agreed to adopt common core standards.

The standards will measure whether students across the country are reaching certain benchmarks in English, Math and Language Arts.

Talk To Us: What We Should Know About Remedial Education At Florida's Colleges

Elaine Chen — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 03:22:14 +0000

The series on remedial education at Florida’s colleges by NPR’s StateImpact Florida and the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting has prompted lots of conversations: Why are so many high school graduates needing remediation in college? Should a high school diploma be a certificate of college readiness -- perhaps only for some students.

We chatted online with StateImpact’s Sarah Gonzalez and FCIR’s Mc Nelly Torres along with a social media audience of students, educators and people interested in education policy.

Florida's 13th University May Be Online Only

Rick Stone — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 17:28:39 +0000

Florida's next public university could be Online U.

Depending on how the Florida Board of Governors reconciles several issues with expert recommendations, the Legislature may be asked next year to establish the 13th state university for Internet students only.

The indicators are good for welcome and acceptance by degree-seeking students, according to Gina Jordan's story for StateImpact Florida:

Education