Florida School Boards Association
TALLAHASSEE—Florida is approaching a rough patch in its path to education reform, as the state prepares to release students’ scores on exams aligned to higher academic standards. In other states where public schools have begun testing using the Common Core standards, students’ double-digit drops in performance jump-started countermovements in which parents and teachers rejected the…
Americans overwhelmingly think there is too much emphasis on standardized testing in public schools and that test scores are not the best way to judge schools, teachers or students, according to a national poll. The results released Sunday come from the 47th annual PDK/Gallup poll of attitudes toward public schools, the longest-running survey of Americans’…
Many organizations expend considerable effort to develop strategic plans only to find that actual implementation can be challenging due to difficulties associated with bringing the strategic plan to the forefront of important discussions and organizational decisions. Recognizing this hurdle, FSBA Partner, BoardDocs, is hosting a webinar for current BoardDocs users titled Goal Tracking – Following…
SARASOTA – Members of a task force formed to bridge the achievement gap between low-income students and their more affluent peers presented preliminary recommendations to Sarasota County School Board members Tuesday. The task force suggested the school district work to increase parental involvement, reform discipline practices, increase attendance loss and prevent summer learning loss, among…
The Florida Department of Education continues to issue more guidelines on the controversial Best and Brightest teacher bonus program, as the Oct. 1 application deadline approaches. Its latest round of information seeks to answer questions raised by superintendents charged with determining teacher eligibility. Among the highlights, the department has explained that only classroom teachers are…
No one likes to see the end of summer, but the sun will soon set on vacations and journeys, and you know what that means — back to school. Fortunately, there are apps to ease a student back into the classroom. Here are my top 5 free recommendations: #1 – Quizlet (free, iPhone and Android)…
For the first time in decades, the majority of U.S. school children come from low-income families. Florida has one of the highest rates in the country — federal data shows just seven states have a higher percentage of low-income students. That means more students qualify for — and depend on — free meals provided by…
Pam Ingram graduated from Robinson High School in Tampa 23 years ago. She remembers her grade-point average (3.75). She recalls her class rank (26). The English teacher at Wesley Chapel High doesn’t recollect her SAT score, though. And she’s not about to look it up to apply for Florida’s controversial new teaching bonus, although she’s…
TALLAHASSEE — Among Gov. Rick Scott’s legacies after two terms in office will be the role he plays in the next remake of the state constitution. The Florida Constitution allows for a “revision commission” to meet every two decades to “examine the constitution, hold public hearings and … file its proposal, if any, of a…