Florida House pushes school uniforms, class size changes

TALLAHASSEE, FLA.  Florida legislators on Friday endorsed a line of changes for the state’s public schools, including easing class size penalties for school districts and encouraging students to start wearing uniforms. The Florida House passed several education bills, including one that would let privately-run but publicly-funded charter schools tap into local property taxes to pay…

Congratulations to Susan Valdes, Hillsborough County, for being elected to the Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE)’s 16 member Steering Committee

NSBA’s Council of Urban Boards of Education Announces 2015-2016 Leadership March 26, 2015 Alexandria, Va. (March 26, 2015) – The National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) elected leaders and new members to its Steering Committee as part of NSBA’s 75th Annual Conference in Nashville, Tenn. Van Henri White of…

What did Florida senators do about third grade retentions?

After lengthy, sometimes confusing debate Wednesday over Florida’s testing and its consequences, the state Senate Appropriations Committee adopted a proposal that would change the rules relating to third-grade retention. Reports quickly emerged that the state where likely presidential candidate Jeb Bush launched third-grade retentions based on reading test performance was about to suspend the practice.…

The Chief Academic Officer’s Evolving Role

This special report, “The Chief Academic Officer’s Evolving Role: Powering Big-Picture Learning Goals,” examines the challenges CAOs are facing in school districts across the country and how they are working to improve academics in the age of common standards and digital teaching and learning. It features findings from an exclusive survey of district leaders. Read…

Florida senator would temporarily halt test-based third-grade retentions, graduation decisions

A conservative Florida senator with a flair for headline-grabbing proposals could generate lots of support in the anti-testing sector with his latest recommendation. Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, has filed an amendment to the Senate’s major testing reform bill (SB 616) that goes to its final committee stop on Thursday, with availability Wednesday. His objective: To end…