FSBA Friday Five – June 21, 2019
5 Things You Should Know in Education News Read. Learn. Share. Retweet. 2019 KidsCount data book now available Automation and artificial intelligence. What’s in store? Surprise! US teachers are overworked and underappreciated Teen suicides on increase, especially for boys School gardens bring science to life
Florida drops in latest rankings of children’s well-being
The well-being of Florida’s children has slipped in the latest national ranking, with a rise in the number of low birth-weight babies, more child and teen deaths and more teens abusing alcohol or drugs. Read More
Florida Legislature sends $91.1 billion budget to DeSantis
Florida’s $91.1 billion state budget, approved by the Legislature six weeks ago, was finally sent Friday to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign it next week — while also vetoing more than $100 million in spending.Lawmakers took their time sending the spending blueprint to DeSantis, who has until June 29 to act. But […]
FSBA Friday Five – June 14, 2019
The FSBA Friday Five – Each week, FSBA Executive Director Andrea Messina handpicks 5 things you should know in education news. Read. Learn. Share. Retweet. The case for family involvement over the summer, not camps or trips, to keep students primed for learning How one high school saved lives with a 34 question survey Young […]
Eight months after Hurricane Michael, many fear a mental health crisis
For some children, all it took was the rain. When thunderstorms passed through the Panhandle this winter, the sound was enough to distress some students just returning to school, reminding them of Hurricane Michael’s raging path last October that left much of the state’s northwest in ruin. They would run to their teachers in tears, […]
FSBA Friday Five – June 7, 2019
Meet the lady who took down the Jeopardy! 32 game champ (hint: she is a librarian) Brilliant! Connecting Mark Twain and robotics Where presidential candidates went to school What we can learn from ancient cities Demand will be high for students who can think 3D
Florida rates high in funding equity, low on spending in new Education Week report
Florida government leaders didn’t hesitate to send out alerts and announcements last September, after Education Week issued its 2018 “Quality Counts” report that rated the state fourth nationally for student achievement. Read More
State To Call Out School Districts If They Don’t Comply With Safety Mandates
After a state commission found out Wednesday that nearly 200 schools, including many charter schools, have not had armed security as required by state law, commissioners urged the Florida Department of Education to “name names and name people” to try to force compliance. Within two hours, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran agreed to publicly name non-compliant school […]
Education Department Unveils Disaster-Response Team as Aid Bill Heads to Trump
The U.S. Department of Education has formed a five-person team that will be devoted full-time to helping schools recover from hurricanes, floods, and wildfires, one of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ top deputies told a group of House lawmakers Wednesday. Read More
Handling Threats, Mental Health, School Safety Law: The Stoneman Douglas Commission Meets In Sunrise
The state public safety commission that’s been investigating the 2018 Parkland school shooting is meeting in Sunrise Tuesday, the first of two days of meetings this month. On the agenda: mental health services in schools, how schools handle reported threats, and changing discipline programs. Read More
Statewide grand jury delves into school safety
A statewide grand jury charged with investigating whether school districts are complying with safety requirements following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School will start hearing testimony “as early as next month,” Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said Tuesday. The Florida Supreme Court impaneled the grand jury in February, at the request of […]
Congress finally passes Hurricane Michael aid
The U.S. House on Monday voted to approve a massive $19.1 billion disaster aid bill that includes money for Hurricane Michael recovery efforts in Florida. The sweeping package — which will also fund disaster recovery efforts in other states and territories — passed the House with broad bipartisan support after being stalled by a series […]
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 […]
FSBA Friday Five – May 31, 2019
Each week, FSBA Executive Director Andrea Messina handpicks 5 things you should know in education news. Read. Learn. Retweet. Gamers are the new athletes Memory and learning breakthrough US Children Better Off Today Than In 2020 Yes, school librarians matter School district found guilty of violating copyright laws to the tune of $9.2m
Florida Plan for a Huge Database to Stop School Shootings Hits Delays, Legal Questions
It was supposed to be operational six months ago, part of Florida’s wide-ranging effort to prevent the next school shooting: a sprawling new database that would merge people’s social media posts with millions of records on individuals who have been bullied, placed in foster care, committed a crime, or even been mentioned in unverified tips […]
55% of Florida kids who need mental health help don’t get it. One official has a solution
Florida has an estimated 400,000 children who need behavioral-health services, but 55 percent of them don’t get any treatment, members of a health care panel were told last week. That translates to 220,000 children across the state, or about one child in every classroom, health official Jeffrey Brosco told members of the Florida Healthy Kids […]
Quality pre-K found to have multi-generational effects
Can talking during snack time and making Jell-O in pre-K help break the cycle of poverty? One of the leading experts on the effects of early education thinks so. A bevy of research touts the benefits of high-quality early education, but Nobel prize-winning economist James Heckman’s most recent published work from the University of Chicago […]
Florida education commissioner gives his department an A for its legislative successes
Calling the recently wrapped Florida legislative session “amazing,” education commissioner Richard Corcoran said his team earned a top grade for achieving its goals. “We pretty much got 93 percent of the legislative agenda,” Corcoran told the State Board of Education during its meeting Wednesday in Tampa. He included among those successes bills — now laws […]
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