Because parents know it takes a village.
Grades are in!! Have you seen the results of Florida schools? Where did your school land? Overall Florida, and South Florida in particular, made some real progress. New testing standards for common core brought some hiccups in the last few years, so everyone has been anticipating the outcome of the 2017 tests. I don’t think anyone expected these results! Kudos to the hard […]
by Lane Wright, editor at Education Post, a nonprofit fostering better conversation for better education. Not that I expect a lot from the TV news media, ever, but the first paragraph of a recent WCTV story struck a nerve: A controversial new bill was signed by Gov. Rick Scott last week. The bill, HB 7069, […]
In a conversation with Superintendent Runcie a few weeks ago, he said Tallahassee is where the real action happens, not the federal level. He was right in the fact that the decisions made in our state capital are the ones that hit us hardest… and the latest one is a doozy! A letter from the Superintendent hit every […]
Update to our recent post Parents and Kids are Counting on Florida to be Brave. Florida is plugging away at creating our Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan with a September deadline in its view. Our recent post implored Florida to be brave and not succumb to lower standards. Jeffery Solocheck of the Tampa Bay Times shares some insights […]
It is done! The big education budget decisions are made and will now be put in motion. Some of us are happy, and some…not so much. Florida’s teaching profession will continue to suffer because salary raises are not going to happen this year. But families who have been locked in failing schools have new hope to break free from chronic underperformance. Charter […]
Here we go again. We’ve been keeping an eye on the educational budget building process in FL for the last few months. Last week we wrote an update on the state budget for education. It proposed a $24 increase to per student funding, also called the Base Student Allocation. Most education advocates were underwhelmed, but […]
I’m so mad I could spit nails. Today US News and World Report released the 2017 Ranking on Top Public High Schools. And all of a sudden every one is all aglow about charters dominating the list. Listen, I’m all for charter schools. I’m all for ANY quality school that meets my child’s needs and believes they can […]
by Lane Wright, editor at Education Post, a nonprofit fostering better conversation for better education. If there’s one thing that everyone can agree on in the case of the Opt-Out moms versus the state of Florida, it’s that Michelle Rhea’s daughter can read just fine. Last year, Florida education officials said she needed to be […]
The first round of ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) plans have been submitted to the feds. Florida is not one of them, opting to wait until the fall along with more than 30 other states. So far, every state’s plan looks different due to the new choice-buffet for student performance measurement. And, honestly, it’s making me crazy-anxious. Education Week covers […]
Last Wednesday, the Florida commissioner of education announced a statewide investigation. Some schools are allegedly manipulating their graduation rates by pushing struggling students, many in their senior year, to switch to alternative schools so they don’t drag down the school’s graduation statistics. If you don’t know, alternative schools exist to help students with behavioral issues, […]