Ann MacFarlane, a longtime observer of civic and nonprofit boards, has seen some interesting “hands on” approaches in school boards across the country. Some examples: A board member who is a CPA decided that he was not satisfied with the district’s financials, so he prepared his own version…
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Five things you should know: Please tell me you watched The Bee Report: Progress and Challenge in Raising High School Graduation Rates “Maker Faires” are important for kids for their hands on experiences Monday’s nationwide bomb threats may have been swatting 11 states sue over Obama’s bathroom directive
DetailsThe U.S. Department of Education has released a draft version of accountability regulations for the Every Student Succeeds Act that would require “comprehensive, summative” ratings for schools, but would not dictate or encourage states to set any particular weight, or a range of weights, for individual accountability measures. The proposed regulations, released Thursday, would also clarify…
DetailsORLANDO — Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday outlined a plan to increase public universities’ four-year graduation rates. Scott plans to lobby the state Legislature to fund merit-based Bright Futures scholarships for summer courses. He’ll also push universities to drop fees associated with online courses, which he said cost up to $100 per credit hour at…
DetailsTALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is returning to a leadership role in the education foundation he created. Bush has been elected chairman and president of the board of directors of the Foundation for Excellence in Education. Bush created the foundation shortly after he stepped down as governor in 2007, but he…
DetailsFlorida circuit court judge rules for state in education adequacy lawsuit A Florida circuit court judge has dismissed a case alleging that the State Board of Education and, by extension, the Legislature had failed to meet their constitutional “paramount duty” of providing a uniform, efficient, safe, secure and high quality education for all public school…
DetailsStephanie Samples struggled to find the right major at UCF. Her passion was theater and singing, but she wanted a stable paycheck. She stumbled in her science classes when she tried psychology and a health-related field. Finally, before her junior year at UCF, she chose graphic design – the right fit. By then it was…
DetailsInterdistrict Enrollment Is Appealing But Tricky Florida schools are preparing for next year’s rollout of one of the nation’s most unrestricted open-enrollment laws allowing students to more easily cross district lines to go to school—a practice that has grown slowly nationwide amid both statutory and practical hurdles. Nationwide, 23 states had some type of mandatory,…
DetailsThe brief respite from surging student enrollment is officially over for school districts across Florida. Kids by the thousands are pouring in, with no end in sight. Jobs are returning in several sectors, along with housing starts, particularly in the suburbs. Analysts project statewide enrollment will grow from 2.77 million children this year to…
DetailsAt the end of the day Friday, Florida students will have completed the 2016 state testing season. “We hold our breath through the entire situation,” education commissioner Pam Stewart told the State Board of Education. But “this year’s test administration has been very successful.” Last spring, the Florida Standards Assessments and other state exams were…
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