Florida School Boards Association
Florida has finally gotten its federal education accountability plan accepted. U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos sent Florida commissioner Pam Stewart a formal letter acknowledging the approval on Wednesday. Florida had been the only state in the nation not to have an approved plan. It went through five revisions — including one submitted on Monday — before DeVos…
A year-old case contending Florida’s “Best and Brightest” teacher bonus program discriminates against educators of a certain age or race is headed to mediation in November.The complaint focuses on the part of the 2015 program that relies upon college entry exam scores, which many teachers — particularly those who entered the profession through a community college…
When new teachers get ongoing support from mentors, they’re better able to engage students and use assessment in instruction, and their students score higher on math assessments, according to a new study. The study, conducted by SRI Education, is an independent analysis of the New Teacher Center’s mentorship program, funded through a 2016 federal Investing…
In a video that appeared on YouTube in mid-May, the Republican-controlled Florida House of Representatives said “union bosses and their media allies” were pushing a “myth.” It wasn’t true, they said, that state funding for public schools had increased only 47 cents per student this year. Three months later, as the new school year got…
If a ballplayer batted .500, it would be stupendous. If a team wins half its games and loses the other half, it might be called a rebuilding year. If you broke even in a casino, you’d figure it’s better than losing. But Florida voters had a coin toss land on its edge this month in…
A controversial proposed constitutional amendment that could have significantly altered Florida’s public education landscape will not go to voters in November. In a narrowly divided 4-3 decision, the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday ruled Amendment 8 should remain off the ballot. It upheld the order of Leon County Judge John Cooper, who found the measure’s title and summary misleading. Read More
Florida Supreme Court justices poked holes in both sides of an ongoing debate whether to place Amendment 8 back on the November ballot during a 45-minute hearing Wednesday afternoon. They didn’t issue a ruling, but one is expected soon. Read More
Faculty and staff at Florida’s K-12 schools will receive training on how to recognize and assist students with emotional or mental health difficulties. It’s thanks to a new $2.2-million dollar grant awarded to USF St. Petersburg’s College of Education. Read More
Legal challenges to at least three and, perhaps, seven of the 13 proposed Constitutional amendments Florida voters will see Nov. 6 remain unresolved as the deadline for mailing ballots to out-of-state voters draws near. The Florida Supreme Court has scheduled two hearings Wednesday – one day after the deadline to set ballots for mailing by Sept.…
For a parent, it’s a basic question: Is a professional, well-prepared teacher working with my kids? Increasingly, the answer may be no in Florida’s public schools. Headlines this summer have made clear that we have a shortage of teachers. The Orlando Sentinel found nearly 70 teaching jobs posted for the Lake, Orange and Seminole districts…