FRS overhaul emerges again as House priority

Florida House Speaker Steve Crisafulli is calling on lawmakers to overhaul the Florida Retirement System this year, something many observers see as an uphill battle because of continuing opposition in the Senate. Crisafulli on Tuesday laid out his agenda for the 2015 legislative session, including cutting hundreds of millions in taxes, improving the education system,…

Teachers union loses appeal in merit-pay case

The Florida Education Association today lost an appeal in one of the cases it had filed challenging the legality of the teacher merit-pay law (SB 736) the Florida Legislature passed in 2011. The controversial law overhauled how Florida’s public school teachers are evaluated and paid and required that student test scores be used in instructors’…

Florida teacher evaluations show almost everyone effective or better

Nearly 98 percent of Florida’s public school teachers earned good evaluations for the 2013-14 school year, just as they’ve done for the past two years, data released today shows. Central Florida school districts, as we reported late last month, mirrored the state, with almost all teachers evaluated earning “highly effective” or “effective” ratings — the…

Governor Rick Scott Honored Six Florida Teachers with Governor’s Shine Awards

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott recognized six educators who formerly served in various branches of the military with the Governor’s Shine Award for their service to our country and their contributions to Florida’s students. The Governor’s Shine Award is presented to Floridians who have positively impacted children through education. Governor Scott said, “It…

Why A Miami Middle School Is Teaching Debate To Conquer Common Core

Bridget McKinney, principal at Miami’s Allapattah Middle School, says her students struggle to pass the state’s reading and writing tests. So when McKinney first read the Common Core math and language arts standards used in Florida schools this year, what jumped out was the emphasis on answering questions and making arguments using examples and evidence…