School leaders urge Trump to uphold protections for ‘dreamers’

Robert Runcie came to this country at age six from Jamaica, the son of parents with a third grade education.  Today he’s superintendent of the Broward County School District, a large system at the forefront of efforts to celebrate the cultural diversity of its students.  On Wednesday, he added his voice to a chorus of…

FSBA #FridayFive – September 1, 2017

  Click below to read Executive Director Andrea Messina’s top picks for this week’s education news. Read. Learn. Share. Retweet. 1.  Looking at bilingual students as your next bilingual educators: READ ABOUT IT 2. How does Florida fare in high school feedback reports? READ ABOUT IT 3. New research on the teen brain suggests it isn’t that the…

Letting teen students sleep in could be $9 billion boost for Florida economy, study says

If Florida schools let teenagers sleep in, the state would get a $9 billion economic boost over the next 15 years.  That’s according to a new report from nonprofit research organization RAND Corporation, which found that moving school start times to 8:30 a.m. or later for middle and high schools would reduce the number of…

Commentary: We fight for neighborhood schools, Sublette says of lawsuit against HB 7069

Last week the Orange County School Board voted unanimously to join numerous other Florida school districts in petitioning the courts to declare recently enacted House Bill 7069 unconstitutional. The decision to join the litigation was not made lightly, and was made only after concluding that constitutional principles of a uniform, high-quality education and local control…

Florida’s Textbooks Are a New Battleground in America’s Fight Over Facts

Mike Mogil doesn’t believe climate change is caused by humans. The 72-year old former National Weather Service meteorologist says global temperatures have been fluctuating for millennia, and recent extremes could very well have nothing to do with mankind. Now, he wants to make sure Florida’s public school students get the same perspective.  Mogil is one…

Schools giving more attention to ‘soft skills’ as a way to head off behavior problems

Deer Park Elementary had a problem.  Its discipline referrals and warnings were on the rise, with 433 incidents last year for 574 students, which didn’t bode well for the school’s academic performance.  “There is a direct correlation between disruptions in the classroom and how well students learn,” said principal Margie Polen, who pointed to the…

FSBA #FridayFive – August 25, 2017

  Click below to read Executive Director Andrea Messina’s top picks for this week’s education news. Read. Learn. Share. Retweet. 1.  How big is the youth sexting problem? READ ABOUT IT 2. What is the impact of screen time on students? READ ABOUT IT 3. New research confirms teacher shortage getting worse: READ ABOUT IT 4. Are comic books…

FSU Researchers Find School Board Diversity Reduces School Suspensions

A new study from criminology researchers at Florida State University reveals that a more diverse school board can lead to more equitable school punishment among black, white and Hispanic students.  The team found that black and Hispanic students were more likely to be suspended in schools with larger minority populations. However, white students attending schools with larger…

Bill to count computer coding as foreign language resurfaces in Florida Legislature

An effort to equate computer coding with foreign languages for high school students seeking credit for college admission has returned to Tallahassee for a fourth attempt.  Killed in 2014, 2016 and 2017, the measure [SB 180] is again sponsored by Sen. Jeff Brandes, a St. Petersburg Republican. And once again, the proponents of strong foreign…