Florida education department officials are taking steps to bolster the state-funded Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program and turn it into the “truly really desired option” for early education, just two months after Gov. Ron DeSantis decried low readiness levels of children emerging from the system. Read More
School grades send ripple effect through state
Real estate agents, teachers’ spouses, homebuilders and parents joined educators this week in perusing the school grades released by the Florida Department of Education. The annual grading of schools sends ripple effects throughout the state, impacting home values, teacher bonuses, the value of land and where parents opt to send their children to school. Read […]
Draft revisions to Florida high school math, language arts standards released for comment
Sticking closely to its posted timeline, the Florida Department of Education on Friday announced the release of a first draft of high school math and language arts standards revisions for input from the general public. Groups of experts from around the state have been reviewing the current standards, based primarily on the Common Core, in […]
Twenty percent of Florida third graders face possible retention as state test results are released
As they headed toward their final day of classes, third graders across Florida began to learn Friday whether they passed the state’s reading test that stood between them and fourth grade. Without fanfare or public statement, the Department of Education released the results from the Florida Standards Assessment language arts test that third graders took earlier in the […]
Beyond the state’s spin: Simple survey reveals frustrated educators, families, and a troubled FL school system
The state’s massive effort to get public input about replacing or revamping Florida’s academic standards has opened the floodgates in schools and homes with schoolchildren, revealing a far more troubled picture of public education than the spin that comes from press releases and news conferences. Read More
FSBA Session Spotlight — May 15, 2019
We are pleased to announce the publication of the FSBA 2019 Legislative Session Summary. Our Summary provides an in-depth analysis of the education related funding in the state budget and detailed summaries of the education related bills passed during the session. We will update our Summary if, during the coming days, Governor DeSantis chooses to […]
FSBA Session Spotlight — May 4, 2019
The 2019 Legislative Session has adjourned, sine die, with public education enjoying some important victories in education funding and policy, but also enduring some significant disappointments. We are still sorting through the final bill actions, including the status of last minute amendments to the bills that are of interest, but we have provided a PRELIMINARY […]
How do Florida’s standards stack up? The state wants your input
The Florida Department of Education has launched a new website aimed at gathering more detailed public views about the standards Gov. Ron DeSantis has demanded be revised. The site, which requires registration, details language arts and math standards by grade level. For each, it asks respondents whether they would like to eliminate, revise, move or […]
DeSantis takes aim at Common Core in executive order
Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to create new state curriculum standards that would eliminate “the vestiges of Common Core,” he announced in Cape Coral on Thursday. “We stuck with Common Core then we re-branded it … it’s all the same. It all needs to be looked at, it all needs to be scrutinized,” DeSantis said during […]
The Full Measure of a Teacher
When students look back on their most important teachers, the social aspects of their education are often what they recall. Learning to set goals, take risks and responsibility, or simply believe in oneself are often fodder for fond thanks—alongside mastering pre-calculus, becoming a critical reader, or remembering the capital of Turkmenistan. Read More